Stop number 42 on the SDT is Talisker. Ahh Talisker, that lone distillery on the Isle of Skye and part of the Islands region of Scotland. This 10 year old, like all other Taliskers (except the 57 North), is bottled at 45.8% ABV. It has colorant added making it a golden amber and it is chill filtered, thanks Diageo... I first reviewed the 10 year old in March of 2016, and my last taste was nearly a year ago. Let's see how my current palate does with this Classic Malt of Scotland. The nose starts off much fruitier than I remembered. Tart red apples and red berries, plums. Then the peat and smoke take over with a thick oaky backbone. Charred oak, pepper, caramel and a little toffee. It's earthy and vegetal, but nowhere close to the same as an Islay whisky. Lots of honey and cereal malt. Dark dry toast, salty maritime notes. Some ginger or cinnamon and a little citrus. A good amount of complexity for a 10 year old. The palate is that classic Talisker profile. Huge black pepper up front. A lot of honey and malt and some oak. Orchard fruits, apricots mostly, but a fairly low amount. Very salty, maritime notes. Peat smoke with a touch of ginger and citrus. Such a big in your face profile. Love it. A full bodied, spicy mouthfeel. A long finish that is peppery, oaky, malty and smoky. This is such a good scotch. Classic big Talisker taste. Other than the Distillers Edition, every one I've had has been a winner. While not terribly balanced, the peat, pepper, salt and honey really work wonders. Storm and Dark Storm are good, the 10 is great, and the 18 is superb. I really need to get another bottle before the prices go up again. While it's not exactly the same as I remember it from a year ago, it's just as good. I gave it a 4.5 then and that score stays the same today. Thanks to Lee for the sample. Cheers