Isle of Skye 8 year old & 12 year old

Isle of Skye 8 Year Old

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: This is a blend I picked up on the spur of the moment. I was looking for something to take along on a road trip vacation. My daughter was about to finish a semester interning at a family resort best known for it's large rodent mascot, and my wife and I were going to spend a week down there on vacation before bringing her back home. I needed something with a secure top, that would travel well on a long road trip. I was browsing the racks at a local wine and sprits store and found this, bargain priced at under $25, and decided it was worth a chance. Not only did it survive a trip to Florida and back, but it was so good that it's become a regular staple in my home bar. 

Isle of Skye is a blend from Ian MacLeod Distillers Limited, owners of Glengoyone and Tamdhu distilleries, and a very diverse portfolio of independent bottlings and blends, including Smokehead Single Malt and the well known Chieftain's Range, just to name a few. 

Isle of Skye 8 year old Blended Scotch Whisky, is a whisky that reminds me of older bottling's of Johnnie Walker! It's got a kick of oily and peppery peat, likely coming from Caol Ila, and Talisker (the only distillery on the Ilse of Skye). It's also got some nice Speyside and/or Highland malts in the mix, with a strong profile of Bourbon cask Scotch whiskies in the blend, giving off notes of honey and vanilla. This is a really tasty blend, with decent complexity and a strong malt heavy character! 

Nose: This first thing you notice, is the Bourbon notes of honey and vanilla, then the peat and a hint of pepper follow. 

Taste: This is where the complexity comes though, with dark chocolate and vanilla, some almond, peat and spice all competing for attention, without distracting or overpowering each other. 

Finish: The almond ultimately wins, with a medium long finish, with a whiff of smoke and vanilla lingering on. 

My Personal Ranking 1-100: 84/100 (Blend Score)

Isle of Skye 12 Year Old

Whisky Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

Notes: The 12 year old version of Isle of Skye has a very similar profile to the 8 year old, so the blend components are very similar, if not the same. The additional age seems to bring out some sherry notes that I didn't notice in the younger version. Maybe some sherry aged Glengoyne has been added to the blend? While I hate the overuse of the word smooth in whisky reviews, the additional 4 years of aging does bring that word to mind. This is a reasonably complex, smooth and integrated, malt heavy blend, at a very reasonable price. 

Nose: Notes of honey and vanilla again, some citrus notes, and the peat you would expect from a whisky carrying this name. 

Taste: A wonderful explosion of flavors, including dark chocolate, vanilla and carmel, ripe orange, smokey peat, and a hint of spice. 

Finish: A pleasant finish where the citrus and peat flavors linger. 

My Personal Ranking 1-100: 86/100 (Blend Score)

Happy Halloween!

Talisker 10 Year Old

Whisky Type/Region: Single Malt Scotch Whisky/Island (Skye)

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol by Volume: 45.8%

Notes: Talisker 10 year old, is the first real peaty malt I ever tasted. When I first opened it up and nosed the bottle, I thought I had made a horrible mistake. It was so smoky and medicinal! My first taste didn't change that impression, though I did find the peppery flavor to be surprising, and the sweetness of the malt came though after the initial peat assault to the senses. Over the course a several weeks, I kept coming back to this bottle, and found the more I drank it, the more I liked it. Now it's one of my top single malts! 

As a movie buff, I've noticed that Talisker has been featured in at least two of the James Bond films. Both times I found Talisker on screen, it was featured in M's office. She clearly has taste, but Bond seems to appreciate it too. In Fleming's books, he ordered whiskies far more times (either straight or in a cocktail) than he ordered the movie staple of the well known "shaken not stirred" vodka martini. I think it makes more sense for Bond to be a Scotch drinker, as Fleming seemed to favor whisky, and if so, a big bruiser of a single malt like Talisker fits the bill perfectly! 

Nose: The first thing that hits you is the peat smoke and sea air. Eventually, that gives way to a some citrus and spicy notes.

Taste: There's a briny flavor that dominates, but that gives way to a complex mix of malty spice, a tart lemon like citrus, and that little bit of hot pepper that is so unlike anything else. 

Finish: The pepper and the peat smoke remain, but the citrus lingers too and now has settled into a sweeter orange flavor.

My Personal Ranking: 90/100