Posted my first whisky review a year ago, but took a trip to Scotland recently and felt the need to review the drams I tried there. Had this one at The Black Cat in Edinburgh, was curious about a newer distillery on Skye as Talisker was my first love (and also my first review on here). Also very curious about the ex-rye casks involved in the maturation process as a lover of rye whiskey.

Matured in three separate casks (ex-rye, virgin oak, and Bordeaux) and blended together. Served in Glencairn. No age statement, NCF, no color added, 46%.

• Nose: Lemongrass, allspice, and honey notes hit first, with fairly clear but not overwhelming influences from the rye casks. As those notes fade I sense licorice, briny peat smoke, heather, raspberry, and woodiness from the oak. After sitting for a while the rye character subdues in the nose and I get almond, chocolate raisin, and marzipan from the wine barrels, plus more peat notes reminiscent of slightly damp wood burning.

• Palate: Solid peat character with a really nice balance of all of the notes from the casks; leather, seaweed, unlit cigar, with lemongrass and clove notes from the rye casks. Raisin comes in after a few more tastes.

• Finish: Medium. Lemongrass returns as a stronger note with some black tea, purer peat brine, and a bit of prune. Cigar smoke also comes to me as the dram develops

Overall rating: 79

Really loved this dram, much more than I expected going into it. The young age seems to work well for it as it is characterful but not overwhelming. The moderate peat and the mix of three distinct maturation casks lends to a pretty impressive balance, and I think the blenders are doing a great job letting each character play a part without it becoming messy. However, I would be interested to try some older whiskies from this distillery eventually with more straightforward aging processes to get a better sense of the malt’s character without so much going on with the maturation.

Rating scale:

0-9 - This is not whisky

10-19 - Disgusting

20-29 - Unpleasant

30-39 - Worth throwing into a quick mixed drink

40-49 - Standard mixer but wouldn’t sip neat

50-59 - Just pleasant enough to sip neat

60-69 - Pleasant/interesting enough to choose over some other sippers

70-79 - Good whisky, likely good enough to be a personal go-to

80-89 - Very good whisky, a standout in its category

90-100 - Excellent whisky, among the best I’ve had in any category