Talisker 18 Year

Call out your order to your snooty waiter in a swish restaurant and you'll more than likely hear him say: "Ahhh, exquisite taste, Sir". If I was a barman and someone asked for a Talisker 18, I'd say the same thing. Only I’d mean it. I’d really mean it. The nose is more muted than I expected. It is beautifully briny, with some gentle, sweet smoke, ice cream (vanilla), and some light wood as the Glencairn empties. The taste is where this dram excels. I think @Reverend357 put it best: "The nose is rather humble, no hint at what's about to happen". Humble though the nose may be, the palate has the full-on charm, poise and purpose of Roger Livesey as Torquil MacNeil, Laird of Kiloran. Oily in the mouth, the flavours are orange, peat smoke, salty sweet, developing into strong black pepper - chillies even - really fiery I thought. The sweetness, long pepper, and tinge of smoke continues into the finish and are joined by some oak and particularly a lovely medicinal taste at the very, very end. I'm not a completist by any means, but with this dram I think Talisker may be my favourite distillery. Whether you're a woman, a man, or a single-celled organism; at some time or another, every living entity on this planet has to try a Talisker.

I am continually annoyed when my tasting notes ride the app review's coattails. In this case my first big impression was candied orange and ginger. The peat is more of a sigh than a shout. Glazed ham, pepper, fennel, and spicy gingersnap cookies round out the flavor. The lingering note is the orange and spice. The whisky is not overly sweet, but is reminiscint of the rich, sweet food around Christmas time.