PORT ASKAIG 10 ans 2011 Conquête

Nose : refined, elegant. On the first nose, the acridity of the smoke and candied lemon rival each other in intensity. Allowed to breathe, incense, Russian leather, seaweed and a fine layer of soot cover the entire aroma palette. With time this becomes increasingly floral (white lilac, lily of the valley). With superb delicacy, it lingers on fruity notes (pear, Golden Delicious apple).

Appearance : bright gold.

Palate : fresh yet generous. More peaty than the nose suggests, the attack is covered in green liquorice and candied ginger. On the mid-palate, the peat becomes chocolatey, oily and rich. The generous end of the palate is like a cinnamon rice cake and lemon meringue tart. Peat remains omnipresent, taking on herbaceous tones (straw, bark).

Overall : long, well-balanced. Among other qualities, the finish provides its own take on the nose and palate, adding mezcal-like agave flavours, as well as almond milk, coriander and almond syrup. The very peppery and medicinal (mustard poultice) retro-nasal olfaction highlights the mentholated character of the still very present peat and smoke. The empty glass is camphoric, malty (barley pulp), peaty and empyreumatic (sleet).