Big creamy sweetness, the expected hit of vanilla comes later. We get peaches in syrup, maple syrup, and then onto citrus, with zest, pith and fruit. Blood oranges, and grapefruit late palate. This has a huge maltiness, with ginger, fivespice and Crêpes Suzette.

Confectionersâ€

It is less peated than the 10 Year Old and has a much sweeter nose. Next to Wellington boots, sea salt and oysters, I get wonderful whiffs of marzipan and rhubarb jam, even some bitter orange marmalade. A big dose of liquorice and ginger. Water cress. Dried grass. And that wonderful A1 barbecue sauce that I always poured on my T-bone steak in the States. Ah, I love it.

The mouthfeel is round on apples and grapefruit with quite a bit of spice. Salt and sweet at the same time. Chili peppers, cinnamon and ribs on the BBQ (obviously coated in the delicious A1 sauce), loads of liquorice and a hint of vanilla. Enticing.

The fairly long finish continues on almonds and dries your mouth completely.

Like said, this was a very hyped release and it is more than good, definitely on par with the Rollercoaster. Bill Lumdsen also dropped hints that 2012 might see a Committee Release in 2012 of something he described as the Son of Alligator. Hmm, I wonder what he means by that? I am looking forward to it.

It shows all the power of Ardbeg 10, with charcoal, medicinal peat and smoke, but also added notes of cocoa, marzipan and sweet barbecue sauce. A little vanilla and burnt sugar. Nice balance of sweet and savoury notes. Definitely less lemon notes, this one is darker and warmer. I like it. With some water, the toffee / vanilla combo stands out, and some fresh lemon shows up.