- Nose
- The nose opens with roasted chestnuts, relatively mellow Islay peat smoke, barbecued pork ribs from a dirty grill, iodine, alongside a handful of red fruits such as strawberries and raspberries. There's a peppery alcohol coming through reminding you of the dram's youthfulness, alongside some raw pastry dough and light citrus. Time and air brings out more of a maritime quality, salty sea air, grape must and a little bit of menthol too. With water, more upfront peat, sour lemon, freshly sawn wooden planks, disinfectant and sweet vanilla. It also has Atlantic freshness with a smokey halo and a hint of fruit from the red wine cask, with barley crisp sweetness and classic dried Islay DNA.
- Palate
- The palate brings forward a punch of sweet and earthy peat, young, fiery but delicious. There's cherry jam, grappa, vanilla bean and engine oil and tar. The alcohol is noticeable but complements the fiery, smokey elements. The malty peatiness develops as the spirit opens and the red wine influence on the oak works beautifully with the crisp sweet smokey cereal. On first sip, there's a rush of dry smoke and saline, with cracked black pepper and scorched oak. Some sweetness develops mid-palate like barley sugar or green apple skin. The peat is punchy and dry, almost ashy.
- Finish
- The finish is quite long, ending with sweeter fudge and malt notes. It's long, drying, and mostly ashy, with charcoal smoke and a salty edge, and a mouth-coating bitterness. A flash of citrus like grapefruit pith or lemon peel appears before it fades.
