Appearance: Pink gold in color with surprisingly well-formed legs and petite beads. Fairly uncommon for a whisky of eight years.
Nose: So many sweet scents rising up gently to greet the nostrils! How can such a high ABV come across as this soft and agreeable? It’s like a miracle. The procession of scents include Bit-O-Honey, almond paste, strawberry topping, golden raisin, guava, pineapple baked ham, brine, wet sand, turpentine, and of course the ubiquitous peat smoke. There’s also a strong note of cork tree bark (not from the actual cork in the bottle). In time, all of the billowy sweetness recedes in one’s glass, while a strong-yet-sophisticated peat presence moves front and center.
Palate: Sweet seems to have turned savory at first, with notes of barbecued pork ribs, grilled rib eye, creosote, peat smoke, cold Honduran cigar ash, mango, papaya, dark chocolate, and bitter espresso. The finish is long, with espresso and peat smoke lingering on the tongue.
Now is the time to take a good whiff of my glass, after the last sip is gone. If any whisky can go the distance–life after death–it’s this one. I'm enjoying the dried remains pairing with the finish in my mouth.