Urbane yet determined: sweet and smooth on the surface, but with hot spices bubbling away beneath: quite delicious. An elemental Lagavulin from virgin oak and our smokiest reserves, in which rich, peaty casks lead saltiness, spice and smoke on their eternal dance with deep sweetness.

Nose: Subtly spiced cereal hints and sweetness entwine to suggest ripe tropical mango, papaya, and peapods. Rising through this, traces of hard toffee and light, sustained shavings of oak hint at the spicy intensity on the palate. A splash of water reveals notes of cinnamon bun and salted toffee. Later, these fade appealingly to scented beeswax

Body: Medium.

Palate: Silky and smooth-flowing in texture with an intense butterscotchsweet taste, which mellows into rich caramel toffee. A balancing spicy-dry, oaky intensity appears mid- palate. Adding water softens the honeyed sweetness to creamy-smooth Swiss milk chocolate, with just a little salt midpalate. Gentle spice now holds the sweetness in check.

Finish: Short and quite intense, with considerable warming chili spice. With water sweeter, the spice reduced.