Bunnahabhain 21 year Old Islay/Decadent Drams (55%)

N: dried, dirty leather, some fruit leather too and browned pear skins, dead leaves, oily fried scallops, black walnuts. With water: a little sweeter, cleaner, is there some cream cheese frosting in there?

P: smoked black peppercorn, burned walnut, dirty leather, and breaded deep fried shellfish. With water: less burned and smoky, a little sweeter

87

Bruichladdich 20 year Old Islay/Decadent Drams (53%)

N: some of that same old sherried leather and oily seafood as the Bunnahabhain, but much more industrial, and heavier sherry, with a whisp of sulphur.

P: more sweet, nutty sherry here, fresh fish, decayed leaves, mechanical grease. Water kills the energy, not worth it

85

Bowmore 21 year Old Islay/Decadent Drams (55%)

N: charcoal, smoked vanilla bean, flaky fried fish, brown leather

P: all of the same, great balance between the sweet, pretty smoke and the grungier coastal side. Water not needed, drinks perfectly at bottle strength

90

Jura 17 year Old Jura/Decadent Drams (54.8%)

N: bright, sweet, funky fruit, mezcal and passionfruit

P: flat relative to all that exotic brightness on the nose, like the difference between the first sip of a great tiki drink and the the last ones after the ice is melted. Still a good and distinctive pour

84

Ledaig 20 year Old Mull/Decadent Drams (53.1%)

N: not much wood showing, not even all that smoky, just a lot of semi-sweet, vegetal peat and whole barley

P: so much pure malt and peat, only a trace of vanilla to suggest barrel. Not a lot of Ledaig funk either, just a bit of saltwater, but it doesn’t need any of that, it’s excellent in its simplicity

89

Laphroaig 10 year Old Islay/Decadent Drams (52%)

N: half the age of the Ledaig but more than double the wood: half-burned log, mossy bark, leather. A hint of lavender, and powdered sugar

P: candy sugar pills along with more subtle notes of actual medicine, bark from well seasoned firewood, juicy apple, vanilla. A rather pretty and confected Laphroaig, with a nice long finish

86