NOSE: A mild nose with light prickle. Unusually for Lagavulin, the first creamy top note suggests bread and butter pudding, but the impression soon fades as the aroma begins to reveal its provenance: distant faintly breezy, maritime notes of crystalline salt and tide-line seaweed come forward to join hints of medicinal salve or rub. Quite meaty. Water brings up a sour note at first, which is soon out played by the medicinal notes and increasing, scented wood smoke.

PALATE: At natural strength, the texture is thick, mouth filling and lightly oily and the very sweet initial taste is also very spicy. It soon becomes drying, as the sweetness is sharpened by a lick of salt and all that oak-spice, and smoky. A good drop of water really emphasises the smooth sweetness and as if released by it an ashy smokiness comes through in waves, backed more respectfully now by the oaky wood-spice.

FINISH: Long, intense, and lightly drying, with waves of smoke edged by lingering spice and a mouth-cooling aftertaste that suggests Sichuan pepper. With water, still longer and smoother and yet also still spicy; again, with plenty of smoke and chilli pepper.