Taster

Nose: Not very intense, but enticingly perfumed. Citrus fruit. Bog myrtle. Lilac notes. Pear drops. Sooty echo mingled with brine. Gingerbread notes.

Palate: Well-balanced. Round and sweet with drying background smokiness. Pear poached in a minty syrup. Slightly fizzy on the tongue.

Finish: Sweetness, spicy lift. Smoke, cold ashes.

Comment: Not as pungent as younger versions, but retains Islay character. Lovely fruit/smoke interplay.

Score: 8.3

Taster

Nose: Lightly smoky. More like wood smoke. A honey-maple barbecue.

Palate: Firm, malty. Lightly peaty.

Finish: At length, some peppery, seaweedy Islay phenol.

Comment: Sweeter than some Finlaggans I have tasted, but quite delicious.

Score: 7.8