A bit surprised I hadn't put this one out yet but happy mistake I was drinking it and just checked. Also a happy note that this bottle opened up nicely after being a bit off on the neck and even a few pours past that. Yes, I got this for 53 bucks thanks to what had to have been an error in the system here in ohio, but hey it's nice to get a win in a state that has been handing out L's left and right the last year plus on the scotch side. Nose - So I'm stealing from @robertmaxrees on a couple notes here. So the word phenol is often one I leave out of reviews so lets just say this, this defines it. There's alll the seaweed brine and smokey ash as you can hope for. Iodine and all that laphoriag goodness. What's interesting are bell peppers (shout out), brown sugar, vanilla but more of an extract, and even some green apple. Taste - Again same classic Laphroaig peat notes as above. I still get that bell pepper which I now am going to be looking for in whiskies as wow that is just right out in front and in your face. The sweetness is however not say like a quarter cask coming in heavy vanilla but fruity at least for a Laphroaig, apple and lemon with even a hint of orange peel. The finish is all spices, and I mean there's so many. I've found I tend to pickup on cardamon a lot and i am getting it with maybe cinnamon and perhaps nutmeg, but there's far more going on in that realm. The overall profile here is of young, spicy, hot, and assertive whisky done in as complex and aggressively as you could hope for. I am sure I've had better 10 CS's from these guys. I am however not sure I've had such a bold and assertive version of any whisky that maintained this level of complexity and nuance. Sure a bookers is big and bold, but it's boring and basic as hell. This isn't that. Oh wait I left off winter green above. I'm just now tasting it on my gums and it's been in the nose and taste. Sorry back to the story (this one stays with you). This bold spicy and insanely intense experience doesn't get throw out with water, sure it lets you pickup on a bit less bite but there is still real complexity in this whisky. Sure you start to notice more that it's young and not overly well done on the oak and you see the flaws coming out on the finish. Yeah water takes away from our geeky love of CS whisky if you really take it down to a review level abv. Overall a fine pour that at this price I wish I'd driven all over the state to find more. Sadly the first pour felt too youthful and shall we way "green" (perhaps that bell pepper?). But with time opening up it's a fine whisky and worth of a very high 3.25 scores from me.