Isle of Skye 8 Year

When I first tasted this, it had an overpowering artificial smoke flavor tacked on to an inoffensive blend. As it evolved, it began to taste like a more refined Johnnie Walker Red. Now, it has mellowed out to a noticeably smoky blend with little in the way of harshness, and a decent warming heat. The smoke and speyside flavors are not fully integrated, but it can be forgiven. Nice enough to drink as a sipper, and an absolute steal at the price point.

Honeyed malt comes through, with moderate peat, has a soft mouth-feel, which I think means a high proportion of malt in the blend. This reminds me of Johnny Walker Black, but I prefer this. Not as complex as an 12-16 yr old single malt finished in sherry casks. But if you want your Scotch to display it's natural maltiness with a full flavor and a rather long smooth finish, this Scotch blend could be for you. And, yes, I only drink it neat.

A smooth and tasty peated scotch blend. Nice dose of Talisker malt here. Light smoke comes through first on the nose and palette, followed by a mix of honey, vanilla and oak notes. Feels quite malty overall. An easy drinking and light blend. Quite long and smoky finish. A pleasant combination of Speyside and Islands profiles. Great bang for the buck. Highly recommended for fans of peated blends.

The Isle of Skye's 8-year-old Scotch blend is of similar quality to Johnnie Walker Red. It has a rich aroma of smoke, peat, caramel, and heather that greets the nose. The entry is smooth, and the palate offers a mix of smoke, peat, and heather. The finish is short, with a hint of bitter spice. Drinking it straight is good, but it's not recommended to mix it with water or soda.

Nose- surprisingly light fragrance of vanilla with very little trace of peat Body- bright and hot mouthfeel but crisp as easy to drink (especially at 8 years) Finish- clean and short Note- although lacking in complexity, this was a very like able scotc when desiring something light yet flavorful.

Yes, there's that distinct flavour of Skye/Talisker, but it's all compromised by the brutally young age and all the unpolished notes of chalk, celery and yeast that comes with it -- which is hopelessly being masked by artificial caramel-y painfully sweet flavours.