On the nose, it's malty and I get some sulfur, marshmallow, honey, an artificial sweetener note as well... which sounds a bit odd, but it's what I was reminded of. Going back to the nose after acclimation I don't really find the sulfur as much. The taste I get some matchstick, peppery, hot, malt, sweet, candy. It feels over 50% ABV, but it is the first drink of the evening, so it could just be drinking a bit hot. This does seem to get sweeter the longer I drink it, along with being jammy.
The finish is sweet initially, malt that lingers, with matchstick, hot pepper, and a bit of artificial sweetener like I get from rum. Very sweet, jammy. Overall this struck me a pretty good, but not quite great... I'd rate it a 4.25/5.0 tonight, but I can't quite place what it might be. Not Ardbeg, I don't think it's Laphroaig either... don't have any great guesses.
Turns out it was BenRiach, The Smoky 12, 46% ABV. I originally rated it 4.0/5.0, so I just liked it a bit more this evening. At $60 I might want to pick up another bottle sometime, though Ardbeg 10 comes in around there too, and I probably like that one more.
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