Taster

Nose: Woodsmoke, pear drop, coal shed, and a little Vaseline. Delicately herbaceous: dill and rosemary. Some subtle hot mash notes, too.

Palate: Medium. Clean and spirit forward. Lots of wood smoke, but this is balanced by vanilla, green apple, white grape, and more of the aforementioned herbs.

Finish: Medium. As the smoke fades, honeydew melon takes over.

Comment: Quintessential modern Islay: clean, fresh, and smoky.

Score: 7.8

Taster

Nose: Herbal smoke, crispy seaweed, and burnt white toast. Petrolic. Lentil chips, blue cheese, rye crackers, apple chutney, and a hint of cornichon.

Palate: Light-medium. Woody bonfire smoke, torched pine needles, and iodine. Fresh oysters. Balloon rubber. Pear juice. Custard cream biscuits, apricot jam, and vanilla latte come later.

Finish: Medium-long, on cooked prawns, balloon rubber, and vanilla essence.

Comment: There’s a nice malt character hiding in the smoke.

Score: 7.9