I quite liked my second version of the recipe and I have posted tasting notes under Reviews.
The nose has some malt and peat smoke. This version is a bit more subdued than Blend #1, The taste is still smooth and rich, orange maramalade and caramel notes. The finish is spicy and long with tobacco and smoke. With water the finish becomes a little more peppery. Overall this is still pretty hefty for a blend and my guess with just 25% grain most people would assume this is a single or perhaps a blended malt whisky.
This version was more balanced than blend #1, but overall I think I will stick to drinking whisky and let the experts do the blending. Those that can, do. Those that can't, write blogs.