Colour: gold.

Nose: it’s not the peat that hits you first, but rather a combination of linseed oil, paraffin and walnut skin that smells very old skool. I need to mention that I’m a sucker for these kinds of profiles. Develops more on liquorice, damp earth, moss, peated barley (or a kiln) and apple peeling.

Mouth: bang, this one really hits you behind your eyes, not unlike some young Port Ellens at high strength. Ash, tar, crystallised lemons and a little fructose or icing sugar. With water: some modern-style oak (vanilla/ginger) but also a little mint, marzipan and typical notes of white pepper from the oak.

Finish: very long, on peat, tar and ginger. Unexpected medicinal notes in the aftertaste, iodine, cough syrup. Comments: top notch dram. Still a wee bit youngish but really getting there, I guess changes are slowing down now, one more year may make proportionally less differences than when the whisky was younger. But it should be a total winner once it’s getting ‘old’. SGP:247 - 89 points. 

Smagsnoter: Serge - www.whiskyfun.com