As soon as you open the bottle, the peat smoke fills the whole room - so you know what to expect from the first taste. As a super heavily peated whisky, it’s probably not a surprise to say that the first taste is heavy on the peat, too. However, there is a balance between the vanilla from the wood and the peat. The peat doesn’t go away, but there’s a softness to it that mixes with more subtle notes of clove, cinnamon and berries. As it develops it mellows into soft, vanilla smoke and leaves a warm cigar-like finish. This is a beautifully complex dram, softer than you would initially expect but still packing a kick. Wonderful!