Isle of Skye 8 Year

Smokey

For the first time it was a little bit harsh and I felt over smoked. After the second and third testing it got the balance. It is not Talisker, but the price also doesn’t. Not so complex in taste wise, but it is really characteristic, peaty every day scotch.

A smooth and tasty peated scotch blend. Nice dose of Talisker malt here. Light smoke comes through first on the nose and palette, followed by a mix of honey, vanilla and oak notes. Feels quite malty overall. An easy drinking and light blend. Quite long and smoky finish. A pleasant combination of Speyside and Islands profiles. Great bang for the buck. Highly recommended for fans of peated blends.

When I first tasted this, it had an overpowering artificial smoke flavor tacked on to an inoffensive blend. As it evolved, it began to taste like a more refined Johnnie Walker Red. Now, it has mellowed out to a noticeably smoky blend with little in the way of harshness, and a decent warming heat. The smoke and speyside flavors are not fully integrated, but it can be forgiven. Nice enough to drink as a sipper, and an absolute steal at the price point.