Isle of Skye 12 Year Old

Isle of Skye is a blend that is composed with malts from the Speyside and Island regions (and grain), but because of the name, I think it’s fair to presume there is some Talisker in their as well. A bottle costs only 35 EUR, so curb your enthusiasm. Judging by the color, quite a bit of sherry matured whisky went into the mix.

At first, the nose offers clear hints of the grain whisky. Nothing wrong with that, if it weren’t for the fact that the malts have all the trouble in the world of shining though. I get some vanilla, honey, toasted oak with baked pears and overripe fruit. A very light touch of smoke and a pinch of salt is all that points in the direction of Talisker. Some oriental spices. All in all a pleasant, but far too simple nose.

The arrival is mildly oily. It is immediately very sweet and spicy with a truckload of caramel but hardly any fruit. I do get some more smoke – salty peat, shall we say? – and more spices and something that reminds me of charred wood.

The finish is rather short on vanilla and soft peat smoke. Just a tad too sweet to my taste.

Nice blend to put on the table during a summery barbecue, but little more.