Deep and stormy like the ocean crashing over the rocky shores of its island distillery, Talisker is the only Single Malt Scotch Whisky rugged enough to call the Isle of Skye its home. This is how Talisker describes itself and it and it’s pretty accurate.

While looking for something new to drink I spotted the bottle of Talisker 10 year at my local shop. It ended up sitting on the shelf for about a year or so until recently when I was trying to decide what to drink and I remembered an article I had read. Recently, at the International Wine and Spirit Competition, Talisker 10 year had been rated one of the top 18 bottles of scotch in the world. I decided it was time to open it and see what all the fuss was about.

The look is light to pale gold. With the first breath the nose of this scotch brings to mind the sea, lots of smoke. A second deep breath brings in more smoke and a hint of floral and pepper. It has a fairly light mouth feel and the taste begins with a good mix of sweet to sour flavor with peat and smoke. The finish has been described as medium-long but I tend to think it is more on the short to medium side with the pepper and spices coming in with a hint of honey.

If you like your scotch to fall almost directly in between the light and rich side and high up on the smoke and peat side then this one is for you. I prefer mine on the rocks but it is equally as good neat.

 

Brand: Talisker

 

Website: http://www.malts.com/taliskerwhisky/index.html

 

Bottling: 10 Year

 

Region: Isle of Sky

 

ABV: 45.8%

 

Rating: 8.5/10 Pints