Nose: Some early wet cereal notes, alongside something curiously white wine-like; wet dog, old cut grass; then some orange / tangerine notes slowly appear, ash, dusty dried turf, charred wood and lemon peel. With time, beautiful light orange blossom / Cointreau notes take over.
Palate: Quite hot and assertive, with flavours very much from the nose and a much more prominent peat, white pepper and tingling spice presence; meanwhile the orange notes from the nose are sweeter, almost estery, and the savoury cereal notes are ever-present. Then the lemon arrives, but much more sherberty (if that's a word). Calms down considerably after being left ten minutes or more, and becomes much more approachable.
Finish: The peat and pepper ease into fourth gear and cruise along down the tastebuds, with occasional citrus cameos and a palpable briny character adding to the fun. Very long and drying.
Comment: The key to getting the most from this dram is time in the glass. At first a bit overpowering, assertive and astringent, but contact with the air produces a much better balanced dram. Longrow fans will like this a lot.
