Goodness, I love the Talisker 10. It hits just about every note that I want to hear, when a single malt sings to me. To get an idea of whether it will sing for you, here's the way I came about it: After ignoring whisky for a decade-plus in favor of wine, I rediscovered scotch. I set about finding out what I liked, what I didn't, and what grew on me. I like sweet, sherried single malts, but I also like smoky peat--not too much--and most importantly, a sea shore, briny sense of place. This is Talisker 10, in a nutshell, a light amber, buttery, butterscotchy single malt smelling of scones baked with smoked ham, somewhere near the sea shore. Finishes hot and spicy, but like they say about Talisker, more like nice, spicy "chili pepper" than just plain alcohol heat. It's always a fun dram.

I am guilty of chasing the golden goose and forgetting about the standards or classics within a certain category be it wine, whiskey, beer etc. I was reminded of this when we went through a line-up of Scotch whiskey and I tried the Talisker 10. This is the balanced side of peated whiskey with pure sea-side air, creosote and just a hint of iodine balanced by the sweet malt. The finish is beautiful with saline and spice and only $50! A standard for everyone's bar.