Auchroisk St. Margaret of Scotland

My prior experience with Auchroisk, if any, is limited, and I now regret that. The whisky I'm about to describe is among the most exceptional I've ever sampled and will undoubtedly rank among my top ten whiskies this year. Auchroisk is part of Diageo and forms the core of one of the world's most renowned blends, J&B. St. Margaret, on the other hand, was a Scottish queen and a Catholic saint, recognized for her benevolent and charitable actions in the 11th century. Bottled at 60.3% ABV, this is one of only 260 bottles produced, released for a charity event hosted by St. Margaret's church in Scotland. It possesses a beautiful chestnut hue. On the nose, it's so spectacular that tasting isn't even necessary. You could inhale it indefinitely and be content. Hazelnut, nutmeg, red fruits, berries, prunes. It has a powdery quality; Hershey's strawberry syrup, very sweet. Pumpkin. After the initial sip, the aroma transforms into a 'tres leches' sweet dessert. Cherries, cream, and cocoa. Simply magnificent. Subsequent sips shift the aroma to molasses, gooseberries, and macerated fruits. This is top-tier stuff. On the palate, this is an outstanding whisky. Oranges, brown sugar, cherries, Christmas cake, and molasses are the dominant notes. Further sips revealed dulce de leche, cocoa truffles, and sawdust. Again, that 'tres leches' sweet dessert character. The aftertaste provides the perfect conclusion to one of my all-time favorite drams. Prunes, a pepper explosion; red fruits, mint. Extremely dry; the second sip introduced sulfurous notes like metallic, pepper, and fruit spices. A third sip yielded... peat? Smoke, salt, and burnt hay. Salty chocolate. It's simply extraordinary. Overall, this whisky is one I will cherish the memory of forever. The Auchroisk spirit has fully benefited from the port cask maturation and has been presented in an incredible fashion. It doesn't feel like a 60.3% ABV dram at all, yet it remains a powerful single malt. I can find no faults, which is why it receives a perfect score of 100 out of 100. Best whisky of the year? Possibly.