Taster

Nose: Appetising. Bay trees. Seaweed.

Palate: Lightly oily. Fruity olive oil. Parsley. Edible seaweed.

Finish: Salty. Smoky. Oaky. Extremely peppery.

Comment: Bring on the caeser salad.

Score: 8.5

Taster

Nose: Surprisingly light for a big Islay. The peat is delicate, nothing like as seaweedy or intense as the other Islay malts from the south-eastern shore. Briny, malty.

Palate: Contrary to the nose, the peat arrives by the wheelbarrow-full. Sweet and heathery with gentle spice.

Finish: This trademark clean but dusty maltiness of Port Ellen. Very, very long.

Comment: This particular distillation seems actually to have exceeded the 35 ppm phenols that were the norm for Port Ellen. A stunningly peaty dram; an absolute must for Islayphiles.

Score: 9.5