Nose: Dense, deep, and rich. The peat leans into lightly smoked ham territory. Speaking of smoke, there's a solid layer of ash and soot sitting on top. Camphor, wintergreen, and sweet orange. Wet cardboard and earth. Some light, sublte baking spices alongside toasted black peppercorns. Palate: That density and richness carry through - meaty, earthy, and ash. Iodine is present, but not like you see with Laphroaig and Ardbeg. The age is absolutely evident, with the barrel character also carrying through, with vanilla, tannin, and barrel char detectable. Tropical fruits including mango, pineapple, and banana. Clove, nutmeg, and anise, as well. Getting some English tobacco vibes. This is very much mid-palate focused, with the lower palate being moderate and the upper palate being pulled a little back. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Iodine and ash, alongside seaweed and meat. Mint, clove, star anise, and nutmeg all come in, with thyme and slightly vegetal notes becoming evident. As things fade out, meat, soot, and ash are accompanied with tannic bitterness and texture. Medium length finish. Other notes: Though Lagavulin is my least preferred Islay, the relative quality and age of the spirit isn't to be ignored The extended maturation (which they're quick to remind you of) makes for a relatively easy and "smooth" experience. This isn't fighting you. It's not even trying to disagree with you. That's not to say this isn't complex - it absolutely is. But the balance of flavors here make me wish I was sipping on some other offerings, particularly sherried, for some reason. All that said, I'm going to do a side-by-side of this, Laphroaig 10, and Ardbeg 10 some time in the near future and go exploring. Though not a bottle I feel the need to have on hand, this is certainly something I may buy again in the future, though the younger, higher proof expressions tend more towards my preferences. That all being said, this is absolutely a quality bottling and one everybody absolutely should try at least once.