Talisker Dark Storm

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The nose on this is special! So much so that once you taste it you get a little disappointed. Dark storm is a great name when the nose is so alive and fresh. You get those peat and briny notes but there something else going on - spice and smoke warn you that you are not safe here....the clouds are rolling in and the seas are angry.....but this tastes to me like young spirits not uncouth but lacking in character. Yes there is nice spice from oak...and charred casks give this its main character but you can't get past the lack of depth on display. So you get a sweet vanilla and oak tannin mixed with smoke and its all very nice and ordered but I feel it misses the salt of the 10 year old and the thrills. It’s a very nice dram don’t get me wrong but just lacks the complexity where it matters and this holds it back. If the taste matched the nose this would be something to get really excited about. So in the end - nice and interesting, with a nose to die for but just short of outstanding. 3.5 stars or 91.