I’m tasting this back to back with the popular 10yo trying to understand the big difference in the rating, and I can’t work it out. The nose is far less antiseptic, and the flavour better balanced-for my palate-between sweet and peaty notes. Not that it goes easy on the iodine and bacon, mind, but the delightful caramel up front leads you into that dark tarn in far friendlier way. Perhaps it lacks some of the breezy saltiness of the 10yo, but makes up for it with a pleasing ethanol punch. Overall, a more approachable and satisfying malt, I’d say.