A very sweet and smooth Islay malt, thanks to a very long finish in a first fill bourbon hogshead: 69 months, almost half of its whole maturation period! As expected, a middle aged peated malt which has matured for such a long time in first fill wood has lost some of its smoke and youthful exhuberance… or better, they are just hidden. The nose is still unmistakeably Islay, with a distinct tarriness and smokiness, but it’s accompanied by clean maltiness, vanilla and banana. The same can be said about its taste: creamy, full of toffee and vanilla, extremely smooth. The peat emerges slowly but firmly, never taking first place, but it’s deep, rich and rewarding. It still retains great freshness, without any trace of oaky heaviness. The finale is long, warm, smoky but also very rounded on the palate.