Of all the expressions of Talisker I've enjoyed so far, I believe that this may be my favorite. It's got the ashy peat, the caramel and sherry, and the chili pepper heat. My tasting notes don't record a kippers/smoked fish character, however: more like cream soda, cinnamon spice, and peat that smells like a spaded-up dry lawn, not like the iodine or burning leather like some Islay single malts that you may have tried. If you would like to sniff some smoky peat in your whisky, but don't like it too dry, hot, or ashy, I recommended Talisker, by all means: get both the Talisker 10 and the Distillers for comparison; both are immediately enjoyable on the caramel-sherry, subtle smoky peat and salty sense-of-place spectrum. 2002 version, bottled 2013.