Nose - bacon grease, oily peat, iodine, brine, kipper, date, fig, strawberry, toffee, vanilla, cherry syrup, cocoa, orange blossom, chili pepper, honey, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - smoked meat, oily peat, brine, chili pepper, kipper, black pepper, iodine, date, fig, baked apple, candied orange, cherry cola, salted caramel, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, honey, lemon zest, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with smoky, salty meat, caramelized dark fruit, and chili pepper flavors. Talisker 10 year is one of my favorite entry level peated malts, so I’m very excited to give this a try. That familiar oily, briny, meaty peat greets me on the nose. However, dark sherried fruits quickly join the bouquet, providing a nice counterpoint to the savory backbone. The same experience continues on the palate with sweet, salty, spicy, and fruity notes harmonizing nicely from the arrival through the finish. I’m split on whether I like this more than the 10 year. Both are delicious and deserve attention, but I don’t think this is worth $100 when I can buy the standard offering for around $60. I have the same opinion of Lagavulin 16 year and its Distiller’s Edition variant. The cask finish adds an interesting dynamic, but it doesn’t completely transcend the original. If you think Talisker is great, you’ll probably think this is great too. And I do. Many thanks to @ContemplativeFox for providing the sample.