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