Nose: Initially spicy with galangal and tumeric, clove and anise. Lemon juice and zest slowly appear together with pears and a little vanilla. Light grassy and faint oak aromas float in the background and the longer you nose it the more you become aware of a flinty, mineral maritime quality - it's like the smell of a clean pebble beach just as the tide is ebbing, and it dominates the nose for a while. Give it a little longer and polished wood and bitter orange notes move to the front. Adding water brings out a more toffee-malt character, which is also the dominant dry-glass aroma. Palate: Sweet and savory arrival - salted honey with some brisk hot spice. The development shows waves of alternating spice, heat and sweetness which is quite singular. Dark honey, bitter cacao, and red peppercorns. After a couple of tastes, as the palate becomes accustomed, the complexity is identified as briny in nature with an overlay of herbal sweetness. This facet reminds me a little of Ricola Swiss herbal lozanges. Adding water smoothes out the ripples in the development. The texture is nothing outstanding. Finish: Medium. Spiced honey notes fade away into a slightly saline malt aftertaste, reminiscent of salted toffee and bitter coffee. It's a good malt but takes time to settle and compose in the glass. It also has a complex and "interesting" character that is not immediately approachable so it's not one I'd recommend to beginners. If it seems overly hot, spicy or bitter you have not waited long enough. Give this at least half an hour in a covered glass before tasting. Water makes only a small difference to either the nose or palate, adding just a little sweetness. 46% abv is a good strength for this so if you want to open it I'd add just a couple of drops of water right at the start. I'd be really interested to taste this at 60% abv with a teaspoon or two of water added. There's been several Glen Scotia 18 expressions since 2012 when the new OB range was introduced and they vary quite a bit in strength. The main ones you'll find are the old "blue bull" bottling and the more recent and current "classic Campbeltown" which looks like the photo that appears on this listing. These are both 46% abv but they really should have separate listings as they are completely different in character. The expression I'm tasting is from 2017 and while there is a common profile to all the recent "classic" bottlings it is batch-variable. This is one of the better ones I've had. The more recent examples are softer, more fruity and easier to approach but arguably less interesting. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)