Robert
Louis Stevenson,
the famous writer wrote in one of his poems "The king o' drinks, as I conceive
it,Talisker, Islay or Glenlivet".
Situated on the banks of loch Harport, the Talisker distillery was created by
the brothers Mac Askill.
The distillery became the property of Donald MacLennan and J.R.W. Anderson, who
went to jail for 6 months for swindling on the quality of the goods. During his
stay in jail, the distillery was declared bankrupt.
Roderick Kemp and Alexander Grigor Allan (co-owner of Glenlossie)
purchased the distillery in 1880, and completely rebuilt it. Allan bought the
shares of Kemp, who founded the Macallan distillery.
A merger with Dailuaine was the birth of the
Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd. After the death of Thomas MacKenzie who
was the distillery manager, a major part of the assets of were taken over by
John Dewar & Sons,
W.P. Lowrie & Co (member of the James Buchanan & Co group) and John Walker
and sons. This group of blenders became later the D.C.L. (Distillers Company
Ltd.) in 1925.
The
distillery used to practice the triple distillation until 1928.
The distillery was closed during the second world war, and after a fire who destroyed
the stills room in 1960. The distillery was rebuild and ready for production
as soon as 1962.
Since the last alteration works in 1997, a great part of the malt is stocked
in warehouses on the continent, and brought there by tanker-lorry from the distillery.
Talisker is one of the single malts of the collection "Classic Malts" launched
in 1988 by UDV.
A great deal is marketed as single malt, but Talisker is a part of the Johnnie
Walker and White Horse blends too.
| Official | 10 years | 11 | |
| Official | 12 years old | 1 | |
| Official | 25 years 1979-2004 | 3 | |
| Official | 25 years, Special release | 1 | |
| Official | Celebrating a decade of the Friends of Classic Malts | 1 | |
| Official | 30 years (2006) | 1 | |
| Official | Distillers edition 1993 | 1 | |
| Official | Distillers edition 1987 | 4 | |
| Official | 18 years | 5 | |
| Official | 57 Degrees North | 5 | |
| Official | 175 | 4 | |
| Official | 25 years (2006) | 1 | |
| Official | 20 years (1) | 2 | |
| Official | 20 years, Bourbon cask | 2 | |
| Official | 25 years (2001) | 5 | |
| Official | 30 years (2007) | 2 | |
| Adelphi | Fascadale, 10 years old | 1 | |
| Clan des Grands Mals | Talisker 1987 | 0 | |
| Douglas Laing | Tactical 1973 | 1 | |
| Jean Boyer | One Shot 1992 46° | 3 | |
| Jean Boyer | One Shot 1992 58,8° | 2 | |
| Taste Still | Cask 5471 1996-2007 | 14 |
Talisker |
10 years |
Collection |
Classic Malts |
Age |
10 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
links & average quote |
Another
beautifully malt from the Isles. Without the predominance of the
smoke as Islay whisky use to be marked by, this whisky form the
Isle of Skye has conserved the marine and peaty character. A great
pleasure from the very first contact. The nose detects a marine
freshness, and the palate confirms this. A great complexity of
fragrances makes it an exceptional malt. The finish is too short.
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A powerful nose, with hints of peat mixed with some bitter chocolate
announces a very nice second tasting. Obviously, Talisker remains one
of the great successes of single malt industry. In the palate, the chocolate
disappears to make room for intense spiced smoky peat touches. The finish
is rather long. A very great bottle.
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Pear, salt and sea overrun the nose,
completed by nice spicy notes. In the palate, the peat is mixed to
sweet honey and nice salty and maritime notes. A nice complexity, sweet
without any acidity. The finish is interesting, and confirms the impression
in the palate, with some smoke at the end.
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Quite a pleasant nose with slightly farmy hints (wet hay) and malty motes with rather strong fragrances of peat and salt.
In the palate, malted barley seems to dominate but a strange yeast impression mixing with discrete peat notes is present too. A pleasant whisky, without too much depth.
The finish is relatively long and this malt leaves nice memories of malt and sea behind.
I was quite surprised to see it is a Talisker 10 yo as it was much more spectacular in my memory. Aeration? Impossible, this is a newly opened bottle. Probably the experience of lots of older and more expensive bottles...?
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Comment by | Date of tasting: 26/9 2007 Apperance: Rich amber, almost orange-red. Nose: Salty with nail polish remover and some burnt plants. Heavy and spicy scents, reminicent of an arabian market place. Some peat develops. Reduced nose lends some soapy scents in adition. Body: Medium Palate: Huge palate. Warming spiciness, chilli fruits and sweet malt. A little smoke drifts past in a tounge crumpling middle to reveal a medium-long, peppery finish with some herbal notes. Very warming. |
Comment by | C.: Bright AmberN.: Very smooth, but intense malt first, cane sugar, later vanilla and ground black pepper, a fresh whiff of sea air follows.P.: Strong peppery notes, chillies, lime peel, sea food and salmon, bitter green tea mixing very well with the very strong caribbean brown sugar and hefty cereal aromes giving the whole dram its overwhelming complexity.F.: The hot peppers giving way to the sugar. This very complex and demanding trip ends very soft with a gentle finishConc.: A class of its own, a wonderful dram, considering it's a standard, which in my opinion has not changed very much in the last years. This is my very favorite dram to good food, especially with all kinds of steamed fish dishes I prefer Talisker to many white wines. |
Talisker |
Distillers edition 1987 |
Collection |
Distillers Edition (CM) |
Age |
14 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Cask |
Sherry |
Particularity |
(double maturation) |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
18 years |
Age |
18 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
links & average quote |
Talisker |
20 years, Bourbon cask |
Age |
20 years |
Alcohol percentage |
58,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Cask |
Bourbon refill |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered cask strength |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
175 |
Age |
No age statement |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Bottle |
0 of 0 btls |
links & average quote |
|
COLOR:
: topaz with orange glints.
NOSE : smoky, iodized fumé, ( shellfish cooked in a court-bouillon), it developes on spices (safran, Cayenne
pepper).
PALATE: rich, smooth. Nice balance sweet-salt. It developes on oily peat and wild flowers. Evoques some citrus
marmalade.
FINISH: lingering, it is marked by herbs (rosmary, tarragon) and continues on candy sugar and heady flowers (broom)
(la Maison du Whisky)
A very nice nose, announcing
a very nice whisky. Salt and smoke. Just like an Ardennes Ham (wel probably only people coming from this region, like me, will understand..). But with an addition of pepper and cloves.
In the mouth, a clear contrast between smoked malt and citrus fruit hints, or at least very clear acid touches,
even if they do not have the fruity character of citrus fruits.
The mouth is rather dry, and some kind of floral impression is present. The finish is shorter than expected, but
pleasantly warm and complex, and the acid notes are mixing again with the smoke and the spicy cereals.
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Talisker |
12 years old |
Age |
12 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Bottle |
01235 |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
57 Degrees North |
Age |
No age statement |
Alcohol percentage |
57 % |
Bottler |
Official |
links & average quote |
|
Comment by |
App.: Medium dark amber with yellowish glints, very oily, long tears in the glass.Nose: Surprisingly mild for a Talisker in cask strength, but after a while there is plenty to notice: Mild but very clear peat, leather bound books in an old library with a cold burnt chimney. This is very beautifully mixing with hints of lime peel, grapefruits and sugared plums, green tea and black pepper.Palate: Very round and firm, strong traces of smoke and leather combined with spicy forest honey. Even without water reduction, despite the high volume of alcohol this is a very accessable dram. With water added, there's more complexity in this combination adding citrus fruits, cocoa powder and, again, sweet gingerbread spices.F.: Very dry, medium long, but a big smoky crescendo leaving bitter flashes on the tongue Conc.: A dram to fall in love with for every Islay and Talisker afficionado preferring stronger bottlings. |
Color: Gold |
Talisker |
One Shot 1992 46° |
Collection |
One Shot |
Age |
14 years |
Alcohol percentage |
46,0 % |
Bottler |
Jean Boyer |
Bottle |
0 of 0 btls |
links & average quote |
|
The nose is quite maritime, pleasantly salted with some smoke on the background. Floral notes too and some stealthy
hints of ripe fruit even some saop. Some burned rubber as well. The nose is extremely complex. The palate is immediately
pleasant, salty and smoky, without any aggressivity, but complex too, presenting alternately salty and bitter notes.
Some nutty taste. A very nice finish, lingering and relatively fresh, with some bitterness. Very nice surprise.
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The nose is very present and pleasant. A quite bewitching nose. Smells of peat and chocolate with touches of bee
wax. A bit of smoke, some earth, wet hay. But also flowers. A very complex nose indeed. Extremely appealing. First
impression in the palate is some dry peat, but it developes quickly on chocolate notes, moka. Nice presence in
the palate. The mouth is even nice as the nose was. The finish is very pleasant too, with the same chocolate notes
than on the tongue. It is lingering and warm. Really an excellent bottle.
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A discrete peat makes the first nose quite pleasant. Sea spray, salt and a touch of smoke. Discrete presence of ripe fruit on the background as well.
In the palate, a pleasant peat mixes with fruity and chocolate notes, the whole being perfectly balanced and none of the fragrances really dominates the other ones.
The finish is very pleasant and lingering, smoothness with however a little peaty character.
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Talisker |
Fascadale, 10 years old |
Age |
10 years |
Alcohol percentage |
46 % |
Bottler |
Adelphi |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
One Shot 1992 58,8° |
Collection |
One shot |
Age |
14 years |
Alcohol percentage |
58,8 % |
Bottler |
Jean Boyer |
Dates |
Distil: 1992 Bottling: 2006 |
Bottle |
0 of 120 btls |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered cask strength |
links & average quote |
Talisker |
20 years (1) |
Age |
20 years |
Alcohol percentage |
62,0 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Cask |
Sherry Oloroso |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered cask strength |
links & average quote |
Nice presence of peat and smoke at the nose. Iodine, sea and seaweed are not far away. But behind those characteristic
smells of peat and iodinem some remote hints of citrus fruit bring a kind of freshness to this whisky which is
rather complex. The smell develops with the time. Fruity and spicy notes are revealed at the "opening" after adding
a drop of water. Remote hints of wood as well. A very large smell palette indeed
In the palate, a mix of citrus fruits, smoke and peat which seems a bit hard at the first contact, due to the high
percentage of alcohol. The wood is clearly present in the mouth and gives the whole quite a bitter note, somewhat
in contradiction with the promises of the nose.
The finish is very long, woody and a memory of smoke remains for long minutes.
The nose was very great, but nor the mouth nor the finish could really confirm the extraordinary complexity of
the first contact.
.
Talisker |
Tactical 1973 |
Collection |
Old malt cask |
Age |
27 years |
Alcohol percentage |
46,0 % |
Bottler |
Douglas Laing |
Dates |
Distil: 10-1973 Bottling: 02-2001 |
Bottle |
264 btls |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
One Shot 1992 58,8° |
Collection |
One shot |
Age |
14 years |
Alcohol percentage |
58,8 % |
Bottler |
Jean Boyer |
links & average quote |
Talisker |
25 years, Special release |
Age |
25 years |
Alcohol percentage |
54,2 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered cask strength |
links & average quote |
Comment by |
Date of tasting: 29/5 2009 (SWS tasting) |
Talisker |
Celebrating a decade of the Friends of Classic Malts |
Age |
12 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Cask |
European oak cask |
Dates |
Distil: 1995 Bottling: 2007 |
links & average quote |
Comment by |
Colour: Slightly darker amber. (Colour added) |
Talisker |
Talistill |
Age |
11 years |
Alcohol percentage |
46 % |
Bottler |
Taste Still |
Cask number |
5471 |
Dates |
Distil. 1996 - Bottling 2007 |
Talisker |
Talisker 1987 |
Age |
18 years |
Alcohol percentage |
51,6 % |
Bottler |
Clan des Grands Mals |
Cask number |
single cask 309 |
Dates |
Distil: 02-1987 Bottling: 12-2005 |
links & average quote |
Talisker |
25 years 1979-2004 |
Age |
25 years |
Alcohol percentage |
57,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Dates |
Distil: 1979 Bottling: 2004 |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
Distillers edition 1993 |
Collection |
Distillers Edition |
Age |
14 years |
Alcohol percentage |
45,8 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Cask |
Aloroso finish |
Dates |
Distil: 1993 Bottling: 2007 |
links & average quote |
|
Talisker |
30 years (2007) |
Age |
30 years |
Alcohol percentage |
50,7 % |
Bottler |
Official |
links & average quote |
Talisker |
30 years (2006) |
Age |
30 years |
Alcohol percentage |
51,9 % |
Bottler |
Official |
Particularity |
Non chillfiltered cask strength |
links & average quote |
|
The Scottish coast is surrounded by isles where whisky is produced, specially on the West coast (Mull, Skye,
Arran and Jura) and on the North (Orkney)
The most important island from a whisky point of view is Islay, but this one is considered as a production area
on its own.
Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information about the Isles area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow
|
Last update:
Last modified: November 05 2011 16:19:09.
- Copyright:Jean-Marie Putz (2003-2011) |
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