• Single Grain
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Talisker Distillery
Carbost,
Isle of Skye
Inverness-shire IV47 8SR
+44 1478 640 314

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Owner:United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo) Ltd
Creation date 1830

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photos

	Talisker
			Sample
O.B.	10 years	18
	12 years old	18
	175	19
	18 years	17 1/2
	Distillers edition 1987	18 1/2
	57 Degrees North	18
	20 years, Bourbon cask	18
	20 years (1)		17
	25 years	19
	25 years (2006)
Adelphi	Fascadale, 10 years old	18
Douglas Laing	Tactical 1973		19
Jean Boyer	One Shot 1992 46°	18 1/3
	One Shot 1992 58,8°		19

Talisker 10 years
Age	10 years
Alcohol percentage	45,8%
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

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.

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.

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.

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...?

Comment by Henrik Johansson

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.
87/100

Comment by Johannes Sauer

C.: Bright Amber
N.: 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 finish
Conc.: 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 1987 Distillers Edition
Age	14 years
Alcohol percentage	45,8%
Particularity	Double maturation
Cask	Sherry
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

The colour and the smell let no doubt about the maturing casks. It is sherry. The impression in the palate confirms the sherry dominance, and the pleasure of drinking some mix of sherry, salt and smoke hints is really intense. A very nice and lingering finish crowns the whole. This malt is unforgettable. A wonderful bottle. I really recommend it, ant its price is certainly not exaggerated, according to the very high quality level.

The first impression is that sherry really overcomes this whisky, even if the traditional notes of an island whisky are still present: salt and smoke. However, the quotation of this excellent whisky has been reviewed due to a certain lack at character. The question is if it is reasonable to apply trendy finishes like sherry to such typical malts as a Talisker...

The nose is clearly marked by sherry on a background of fresh and salty notes as well as some cut grass on the banks of the ocean touches. In the palate, the well marked salty and smoky character is very pleasant. A slight taste of wood. A long, fresh, powerful and very pleasant finish. An excellent malt

A very nice nose marked by bewitching floral hints. Heather, dry grass and a touch of sherry. Quite a complex and very pleasant nose. A touch of peat. The first impression in the palate is amazing. Starting on sweet fruity hints, it develops on a light bitterness. The whole being perfectly balanced. Something like a bitter acidity or an acid bitterness remains present all along. The finish is rather long and remains of the nice mix of bitterness and smoothness characterizing the mouth give this whisky an amazing character. Comparing those notes to previous ones, I guess the whisky has changed a lot in the bottle since I first opened it, some 6 years ago...

Talisker 18 years
Age	18 years
Alcohol percentage	45,8%
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

The nose first detects some acid notes (citrus fruit, orange) and goes on, after aeration, on more complex and fresh notes, with menthol hints. In the palate, the impression of acidity remains, but mixes with spices, on a discrete smoky background. A rather long finish, but still on the acid style, with some additional animal touches, remaining the leather smell in the old shoe-repair shops. This bottle deserves certainly another try.

The conclusions of the first tasting were amazing to me, and unlike usually I decided to give it a try the next day. The nose remains fresh and influenced by some acid persistence, and recalls a powerful Lowlands scotch rather than a typical Isle whisky, famous for its peaty or iodine character. However, a great complexity, and some rather discrete leather and peat hints in addition to the mint notes first detected. The rather long finish remains on the same register, with some leather hints, but still with the slightly acid orange hints. The complexity of this whisky is however very great, and in this respect, the first quotation seems to be too low.

The nose is quite expressive and reveals nice fruity notes mixed with leather hints and spices (pepper). In the palate, a nice sweetness allied to a kind of nutty bitterness and fruity hints (ripe fruit), and some port-like tastes on the background. A lingering warm finish where the slightly bitter (woody) touches seem to be associated to dominant fruity notes.
Strange enough, but the citrus hints who were domninating after opening of the bottle a few months ago seem to have completely disappeared...

The nose is somewhere between peat and hay with rather neutral acid hints. Smoke. Pleasantly surprising.
The mouth rocks between smoke, oily peat and fruits with some woody hints and a tingling on the tongue, Smoke and spices.
The finish is rather long and retains principally the tingling on the tongue, and the coffee and woody touches. But the coffee above all.

Talisker 20 years
Age	20 years
Alcohol percentage	58,8%
Bottler	Official
Cask	Bourbon refill
Price/litre

The nose is clearly marked by peat and smoke, with some farm hints, recalling sometimes baby's vomit.... Some smells close to moisture, but after a while, this whisky opens and offers fresher fragrances. The palate is straightaway marked by some nice peat, very complex, from smoky to chocolate taste with some slightly bitter nut hints. A general salty impression is clearly present too. The alcohol is wel perceivedn but does not hinder the taste. The finish is lingering and pungent, quite salty.

Quite a pleasant floral nose with nice spicy hints and touches of exotic fruit on the background. Some honey? Some peat and smoke.
The mouth is a nice balance of bitter and acid tastes, very complex and very pleasant. Fruit (plum, green apple) and nuts. Salt. An obvious presence of alcohol. Lots of character.
Nice finish as well, where the slightly woody hints come back and where the pleasure prolongs for many minutes.

Talisker 25 years
Age	25 years
Alcohol percentage	59,9%
Bottler	Official
Cask	Refill American and European Oak
Price/litre

A pleasant nose, with maritime hints, first rather discrete, and developing on citrus fruit (orange). In the palate, a mix of citrue, seaweed, salt and pepper on a bitter background. A very nice finish, coming back on malt with discrete peat and smoke hints, while some acidity remains. A rather bitter after taste, unripe walnuts concludes the finish. The high percentage of alcohol does not hinder the tasting at all. This whisky is all in nuances. A very delicate cask strength, even if a kind of bitterness characterizes the diverse phases of the tasting. An impression of dry hay at the end, something like a country evening at the end of spring. A great bottle.

The nose is very clear, with nice spicy notes first, wax hints and some citrus fragrances. A touch of smoke. Nice complexity announcing a real festival in the palate. The palate is amazingly round and balanced, mixing slightly acid tastes to fine woody hints, going through a vast palette of varied tastes. The finish is pleasantly long, delightfully smooth while keeping the warmth of the alcohol and the memory of a malty sweetness mixed with a hint of oily peat dominates at the end.

The very beautiful nose is clearly dominated by smoke. Strong spicy hints appear too (pepper). Very complex and the iodine and sea notes are not missing. Nice intense woody flavours, wet wood with this typical mouldy smell.
In the palate, just the same complexity. Nice balance between clearly marked and spicy wood and oily peat. A real delight continuously developing between both impressions.
The finish is particularly lingering and warm, with still the same woody and peaty characteristics which are intimately mixed together.
Excellent version

The nose evokes barbecue ash, oily peat and exotic fruits (unripe mango) behind a deep veil of smote on a sea background. The pleasure of the nose remains for many minutes, bringing each time a renewed nice experience.
In the palate, a real tastes festival from exotic unripe and spiced fruit to a light bitter woody feeling through all the sea nuances: seaweed, see spray, salt.
The finish is deliciously long and pleasant, first marked by a mix of bitterness and acidity before developing on fruit to end on a light veil of smoke.

Talisker 175 anniversary
Age	No age statement
Alcohol percentage	45.8%
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

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.

Talisker 12 years
Age	12 years
Alcohol percentage	45,8%
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

The nose is slightly "farmy" with its hints of wet hay, barley and some peppery notes on the background. In the palate, a kind of light chocolate smoothness rivals with some slightly bitter nutty notes. Undisputable presence of peat and touches of smoke. Nice in the mouth, very pleasant taste even if this whisky gives a rather flat impression. The finish is rather smooth too, relatively long and just as the rest, pleasant.

Talisker 57% North
Alcohol percentage	57%
Bottler	Officiel
Price/litre

A powerful and smoky nose. Peat and a discrete smell of citrus fruits on the background. A mix of ash and oranges amongst the sea spray. A promising nose.
In the palate an amazing freshness mixed with an ashy and citrus fruit taste. Nice complexity. Developing constantly between barbecue ash and vague coffee notes then coming back on too ripe orange tastes.
The finish is long and chocolate and coffee notes dominate.
An excellent Talisker.

Comment by Johannes Sauer

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.

 

Talisker One shot 1992 46%
Age	14 years
Alcohol percentage	46%
Price/litre
Bottler	Jean Boyer

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.

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.

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.

Talisker Adelphi's Fascadale
Age	10 years
Alcohol percentage	46%
Bottler	Adelphi
Price/litre

The nose is clearly dominated by some farmy notes. Stable, wet hay. Some monolithical peat and sea spray, and hints of smoke.
The mouth prolongs the nose and express a kind of lack at body. One could have expected more complexity from this whisky, as announced by the nose.
The finish is lingering and warm and is more in the mood of the nose than of the mouth. It fortunately contributes to let forget the palate.

Talisker One shot 1992 58.8%
Age	14 years
Alcohol percentage	58.8%
Bottler	Jean Boyer

The nose is rather clear, but paradoxicaly less exuberant than the same whisky diluted at 46%. However, quite similar notes of peat, of wax, earth and smoke are detected here too. But the whole seems less complex, and present even quite a medicinal character. The mouth is magnificent. Very complex, with oily peat notes mixed to light citrus hints, and then moka and chocolate, just like in the diluted version. The palate seems superior to the other version, but the nose offers less surprises. The finish is really great too. Clear, round and warm, lingering and marked by chocolate hints. A great moment of happiness.

Talisker 20 ans Sherry Oloroso
Age	20 years
Alcohol percentage	62%
Bottler	Officiel
Cask	Sherry (Oloroso)
Price/litre	sample Diageo

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
Age	27 years
Taux d'alcool	46%
Embouteilleur	Douglas Laing

An exceptionally rich nose. A very balanced mix of exotic fruits, peat and smoke on a sea- like palette, with nuances of salt and iodine, perfectly integrated in the whole. Progressively new fragrances appear, and finally a kind of smoke veil seams to dominate the other fragrances, which however remain on the background. The mouth is as interesting as the nose was. Just as subtle and balanced. However, the fruit traces are quite more discrete and here the delicate aromas of peat dominate a very balanced palate. The finish seems to have forgotten all fragrances but the peat and a slight bitterness prolongs the pleasure for several minutes. An excellent whisky.

Talisker 25 years (2006)
Age	25 years
Alcohol percentage	56,9%
Bottler	Official
Price/litre

Talisker 25 years Special Release
Age	25 years
Alcohol percentage	54,2%
Bottler	Official

Comment by Henrik Johansson

Date of tasting: 29/5 2009 (SWS tasting)
Apperance: Old gold or slightly darker
Nose: Pretty marked saltyness and seaweeds. Very big bouqet. More harmonious with water, ladies perfume and spicy herbs, still powerful. Very big and complex
Body: Medium to heavy, smooth
Palate: Very big flavour with a smooth feel. It's a lot fresher than I expected straight. In the early finish comes a peaty bearhug and than a powerful spicyness. Can take loads of water without breaking up and it only becomes more harmonious.
92/100

Talisker Celebrating a decade of the Friends of Classic Malts 1995-2007
Age	12 Years in european oak
Alcohol percentage	45,8%
Bottler	Official

Comments by Johannes Sauer

Colour: Slightly darker amber. (Colour added)
Nose: Typical Talisker. Clear smoke together with leather and tobacco. Ginger spice. But something seems different from the regular 10yo - Yes, the typical Talisker seems to be hidden somewhere behind a softer combination of barley, dark chocolate and delicate caramel. All in all this nose is a little weaker compared to the regular and me being an great Talisker admirer am not quite sure if I do really like this nose. But, yes, after a short while a great and very balanced impression makes itself clear.
Taste: Very intense and rich. Here now the smooth barley and chocolate notes harmonize most beautifully with what I call “Typical Talisker”: Dried figs, dates, cigarette ash, very pleasant chilli notes, oriental spieces and smoked kippers.
Finish: A long and full crescendo fading into a burnt out chimney on a cold winter morn, poetically spoken.
Conc.: A great talisker but it is one point less because the people at Talisker cannot leave their fingers off of the flask with the colourings, even not for a special “friends” bottling. My eyes also like to enjoy the dram.
Tasting date: 2009-07-09