It smells strong. There is a lot of smoke on the palate, but the defining feature initially is the iodine. Once that passes, some surprising apricot comes forth. There are substantial cereal notes present as well. It reminds me a bit of a cross between Highland Park 18 and Laphroiag 10. Some medicinal notes hang behind, with a hint of Band-Aids showing through. The herbal elements are light but there, taking on a more dusty flavor than the usual rotting, minty, or licorice flavors. There is definitely some mint though. This is really good! The balance could use some work but it has some interesting stuff going on. The fruits eventually include apples, dates, and raisins, further enhancing the complexity. The initial hit of iodine fades, making the drink more interesting. Some meaty notes come through and they bring with them a hint of almond. There are a lot of fun flavors coming out here and the flavors that do come out are quite good. This is a surprisingly underrated find. How is this not beloved? Here's a weird comparison: this is a bit lighter in flavor and a lot lighter in color than Tullibardine Burgundy is, but it has a lot more complexity. There's smoke and peat, but also fresh oranges and apples, and some nice cereal. The flavor is quite controlled with a good deal of complexity. I'd say that it's better than Glenrothes Whisky Maker's Cut, but is not on the level of Highland Park 18. The finish is clean and tasty. There's something a little perfumey here but it doesn't get out of hand. The flavor elegantly skirts the taste of alcohol though it does have a little I'd editable bitterness and is less full than I would like. It say it's better than Springbank 10, but it is in the same ballpark. The complexity and execution of the flavors that it has are to be commended, but it needs some more to fill it out. This is a terrific sipper that falls short of being world-class. It's delightful though. It compares very nicely with Highland Park The Dark at a fraction of the price. The flavor is similarly a little lacking in fullness, but it has some more citrus and sea spray instead of cherry and mineral (an odd distinction, I know). It's a tough call between these two, for sure. I might lean in favor of The Dark, but it's hard to tell whether that's because of bias. This has a nicer overall flavor than Springbank Hazelburn 13 does, even though it has a lighter and less mature flavor. The smoke is balanced with grass though it doesn't bring out wet wood. There's some nice fruit in here adding sweetness, though the caramel sweetness is on the immature side. In that regard, it reminds me a bit of a more mature Westward. The iodine sure does come through from the peat. Tobacco (which has some herbal elements) and vanilla come through with some nice tangerine. There's a bit of grass, but it is not overwhelming. This reminds me a lot of a peated Irish whiskey without the bad flavor and with some more lightness. In some ways, it seems like an improved Green Spot (though it certainly does have that Highland Park balanced profile. The balance is nice despite having a light character. There isn't an excessive amount of complexity, but the distinct flavors do flow into each other. It's probabaly not as good as Springbank 10 is for the money, but it's quite good nonetheless. It's also sort of like more complex and balanced Johnnie Walker. This is really good.