Description

The King of Islay in his prime, fiercely  rampant, with a clarity of vision and a sense of  purpose none can deny. A glorious and classic Lagavulin, with an  intensity, saltiness and sweetness that  balance perfectly as perfumed wood smoke  rises to envelop them all; absolutely delicious.

Appearance: Lustrous pale straw-gold.

Nose: Mild, drying and soon, wonderfully aromatic;  clean, fresh and maritime, with top notes of sea air and  Himalayan salt, supported by fragrant smoke-dried  Lapsang Souchong tea, mineral salts and light  cleansing salve. Beneath these lie drier notes of cocoa  powder and dried seaweed, with a squeeze of lemon  zest, this salty sweetness imbued with wood-smoke  from a distant bonfire on the shore.

Body: Medium.

Palate: The texture is smooth and attractively oily; the  taste sweet to start then soon growling with an intense  lemon acidity, with a sprinkling of sea-salt and  persistent char talking each sip. The overall salty-sweet  taste is rounded, softened and sweetened by a drop of  water.

Finish: Long, with great waves of smoke, and roaring  with chilli pepper warmth. Even better with a dash of  water. Smoke lasts wonderfully in the aftertaste.