Managed to luck out and score a bottle of this recently. In terms of taste, 'exotic islay' seems appropriate here. I get smoke, a bit of peat and wood, and a HUGE hit of pear. It's almost like a smoked pear juice at times. It's a very nice whisky and honestly not like anything I've had before, but in a good way.
If I had two complaints, it would be the oft mentioned bottle itself (who uses a screw cap for an aged whisky? honestly...) and the price. While I think it's an absolutely great whisky that appeals to me on multiple fronts, the price itself is seriously off-putting. I'm glad I tried it, but $100+ for a whisky is really asking a lot, especially with such a low age statement. This tastes like a fantastic 60-70 dollar whisky, and if were that price, I'd definitely always have a bottle on hand. As it stands, I would encourage you to pick it up if it sounds appealing to you to try it, then wait a few years for production to hopefully ramp back up and the price to lower to a more reasonable amount.
Update: As it has oxidized, I believe the quality has gone down somewhat. I lost the pear note that made this so enjoyable for me. I'd drop this to a 3.5 in that case. This seems like a bottle you'd want to consume quickly after opening, which is a tough sell at the price. I think a 4.25/4.5 from a fresh neck pour, and a 3.5 post oxidization leads me to keep this rating where it is.
115.0
USD
per
Bottle
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