singlNose: Copper and a bit of soft funk, and the peat is bringing some charcoal and ash, too. Then it’s juicy Luxardo cherry, with orange and apple as accent fruits; there’s a brandy-like smell as well. In the background, we get some bright spirity notes – tart, and a bit like agave.

Palate: Ashy peat smoke, almost a hint of cigarettes… charcoal, too. It’s relatively strong peat smoke, but that’s backed up by darker notes of chocolate-dipped strawberry, subtle plum and prune; there’s a nice balance of sweet and dry notes, but overall, it’s less sweet than we expected. With time, the texture becomes oily, and oak notes build.

Finish: A medium level of peat – still ashy, with charcoal and medicinal accents. Plum, freeze-dried strawberry, and other syrupy red fruits linger; it’s a medium-long finish.

Final Note: The fact that this was aged in refill Port casks made a big difference – this was much lighter on the nose than the average Port-matured whisky, and while some of those red fruits and chocolate did appear more on the palate, it was still in a reserved fashion. It isn’t an overly sweet whisky, either – much better balance, and the peat smoke is still one of the main focuses, not covered up by the casks.