Many good folk on here recommended this and I was hesitant. Thanks to @victor and many others for convincing me to take the plunge!
Bottle has been open about 7 weeks with over two thirds left.
Nose - Surprisingly soft on the alcohol for its strength. This can easily be drunk neat. Dense, toffee'd malt with cracked black pepper, iodine, Bolton Fish Market at the start of the day and an array of spice, but ginger and something akin to Chinese five spice stand out. Thick honey. Fresh and clean. Wonderful.
Adding a quarter of a teaspoon of water: Lovely swirling when adding the water that lasts a long time. More peat and pepper for sure.
Taste - Almost tar like in texture. Lovely warming dram with the toffee and a slight figgy sweetness with some honey coming through. The peat comes into the development more. With water, again more of a peaty tang attack on the tongue.
Finish - Quite long and peaty with an almost refreshing dryness from the wood. With water it's a little longer and the sweetness keeps going after the peat has subsided. Nice balance of sweet and sour actually. After a minute or so there's a slight milky coffee with pepper taste that lingers nicely at the back of the throat.
I was very lucky to pick this up for £50 (usually around £70) and had I more cash to spend i'd pick up a couple at that price. This is a graceful bruiser that encapsulates lots of what makes Scotch malt whisky so appealing. Fit for a fireside or a summers evening - really!
@Pete1969 - Talk about getting late to the party . . . apologies for the _slight _ delay in response time Must have slipped me by!
In answer to your question, not anymore. I was born and bread in Bolton (as the saying goes) but haven't lived there since my late teens I guess. Hung around Manchester for a good few years and now live in Bristol. You could say I exchanged whippets and mild for cider and carrots I think all the local 'old-style' markets have struggled, sadly - except the 'World Famous Bury Market' - which I'm sure all fellow connosrites are overly familiar with lol!
Are you in the Preston area then? Used to love walking in the Ribble valley area and up in Bowland - gorgeous!
@RianC The only problem with the 57* is it’s price in Quebec around 100£, but it is a charmer.