Pre Trip Tasting 4/20/13

We are counting down the days to our trip to Scotland, each day seeming longer than the one before. The mountains, the North Sea, left-side-of-the-road driving, ancient clan strongholds, whisky - oh yeah- whisky! will be there for us to see. And drink. And buy. 
As a primer or sorts, Todd assembled a few of the whiskies from distilleries we are actually going to visit/tour. Here is what we tasted that night:

*Glengoyne   10yr.    43%ABV
-Smells cinnamon
-tastes oak with very little alcohol burn
-not sweet like it smells
-trails wood
-with water - smells simply wet wood
-tastes bitter oak
(Not a lot of flavor besides oak, but neat and even.)

*Glenmorangie  18yr.    43%ABV
-smells cinnamon bun with slight cherry
-tastes strong alcohol with oak
-trails a tinge of sweet
-with water - tates bitter oak
-trails a chalky wood
(Actually a disappointing Glenmorangie for me.)

*Aberlour  16yr.   43%ABV    [double cask - oak and sherry]
-smells sweet/light with chardonnay
-tastes doughy
-with water - tastes sweeter but same flavor
-slightly chalky wood
-trails chardonnay/dry wine

*Scotch Malt Whisky Society No. 3.160   10Yr.   [Islay/Bowmore]
-smells like jerky/salty
-tastes very smoky and sweet - flavor dropped to bottom of mouth
-with water - much more even flavor
-starts bitter wood and trails same
(Would love to know exactly what is in this to get such a strange taste.)