HELLYERS ROAD 17 ans Slightly Peated Single Cask Conquête

Nose : dense, deep. The very original first nose invites us to savour an oily, seaweedy and passionately exotic peat (pineapple, passion fruit). Allowed to breathe, it echoes Laphroaig, taking on chocolate, camphoric and spicy (clove) dimensions. Lingering on, heady florals (lily, iris) are placed on melting tarmac as temperatures soar. Outstanding.

Appearance : or vif.

Palate : lively, fiery. A perfect summary of the aroma palette, the attack highlights the quality of an intense and powerful spirit. Nestled behind milky (coconut) and praline flavours, the peat takes its time to return to centre stage. Once in place, it covers the entire flavour palette in salty, iodine, medicinal (ointment), hot (Espelette pepper), lemony and empyreumatic (sleet, fuel) notes. Outstanding.

Overall : long, heady. Although flooded with intense notes of peat and smoke, the start of the finish nonetheless reveals beautiful rich notes (sugared almond, frangipane, prune flan). This duality reaches a climax in an evocation of a venerable Yellow Chartreuse. On the retro-nasal olfaction, blocks of dried peat split under the assaults of a wild sea, while fleur de sel falls on the palate. The empty glass is exotic (lychee, kiwi), malty, mineral (petrol) and fruity (gooseberry).