FACTS
The Isle of Skye is the largest island of the Inner Hebrides and set on the shores of Port Harport, lies Talisker Distillery. The distillery was built in 1831 at Carbost by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill after acquiring a lease from the Clan McLeod. It was rebuilt in 1960 after a stillhouse fire completely destroyed the distillery. After the fire, five exact replicas of the original stills were constructed to preserve the distillery profile. In 1972, the stills were converted to steam heating and the malting floor was demolished.
Talisker was originally triple distilled but changed to double distillation in 1928. In 1925, it was acquired by The Distillers' Company, a drinks and pharmaceuticals company and is it is currently one of the 28 malt distilleries owned by Diageo. Talisker is generally peated to a level of around 20ppm and is one of a few distilleries that use worm tub condensers, which produces a heavier and meatier spirit. The spirit is most frequently matured in American Oak casks and the distillery also uses sherry and port casks for maturation.
The distillery has a number of expressions from the Distiller's Edition and the 10, 18, 25 and 30 year olds, to an array of No Age Statement bottlings such as Skye, Storm, Dark Storm, Port Ruighe, Neist Point and 57° North. This 8 year old expression was released at cask strength, as part of Diageo's 2018 Special Releases, an annual release of special edition bottlings, and is a hark back to the 8 year old bottlings of the 70's and 80's.
Whisky/ Year: Talisker 8 year old (2018)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: Talisker Distillery (Diageo)
Country/Region: Scotland (Isle of Skye)
Cask Type: First-fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Age: 8 years old
ABV: 59.4%
Chill Filtration: No
Natural Colour: Probably
Price: R900 / $60 / £50
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
Amber / Deep Gold
Nose:
Very strong on the nose with charcoal, peat, and pepper upfront. There's barbeque, smoked fish as well as sweet fruits and lavender with a salty, briny, sea breeze quality. Water simply tones down the intensity
Palate:
Thick, oily and chewy. This is an intense whisky with sweet peat and bonfire smoke as well as barbequed pork rashers. The salinity continues from the nose and is enhanced by a distinct minerality. A little lemon peel and fresh apple is present and there's a herbal/camphor note towards the end...think of a burning pine tree. With water, the fruit notes become more pronounced with vanilla and light orange appearing
Finish:
The finish is long and dry with the herbaceous note leading into more smoke and salt which seem endless
P.S.
Wow, what a whisky. It certainly reinforces the fact that Talisker can produce truly excellent liquid. The 10 and 18 year olds are superb but this 8 year old is stonkingly good and one of the best and most exciting releases of 2018. There's nothing airy-fairy about it. It has solid, well-rounded flavours and true depth, and provides a sensational tasting experience. Couple that with the excellent pricing (at least in South Africa) and you just cannot go wrong. My only regret is not getting a few more bottles, I just hope they release a new batch in the near future.
SCORE: 8.5/10
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