Wild and unruly as expected, another release of our curious award-winning Beathan that marries the apparently clashing earthy flavour of peat with the fruity character of Speyside. This new bottling is definitely winey and influenced by the dry mark of the Oloroso. At the nose, the initial impression is slightly sour but backed by buttery fatness, and then the interaction with the smokiness results in a very farmy profile: damp leather, horse menagerie, but also balsamic vinegar and red fruits. The same rustic, pleasantly muscular profile is found at the palate: winey and dry, medium-peated, and again very leathery, with a touch of camphor, sawmill and liquorice root. And the usual, quizzical hint of heather flowers that betrays the region of origin of the whisky, before steering into a spicy and lively finale.