It’s been a while since I’ve had Talisker, though going back through my archives of various blogs I can only find two references to it— one date back to an early blog of mine, the now defunct Churchill’s Cigar:
So, a quick perusal of the selection at Dirty John's has put two new candidates in the running- 1. Dalwhinnie 2. Glengoyne I've had Talisker before, but apparently Robert Louis Stevenson thought Talisker was bad-ass, so that intrigues me (maybe RLS' favorite whiskey will rub off me and give me some writing mojo? I don't know...) Ardbeg is also still in the running- it'd be interesting to compare the taste of another Islay with the Lagavulin I've already tried. Hmm. We shall see, we shall see...
That’s dated from late December 2009 and then I found this, from February 2016 (an old LitCityBlues.com post, my current blog.)
Here's the thing: when whiskies like Talisker make a big deal of their proximity to the ocean, I can sort of buy in- there's a certain saltiness to that dram that puts you in mind of the wild, open isle of Skye and the spray of sea water- as a critical consumer, you might take it with a grain of salt and chalk up a lot of it to brand positioning, but there's just enough in the dram to make you wonder. With Aberfeldy though, I have to ask: just how much gold can their be in the Pitilie Burn? And more to the point, what would the presence of gold do to the chemical composition of the water and just how much does that alter the end product? (The first question stems more from my skepticism with whiskies and how they market themselves, the second I would be genuinely fascinated to find out more about.)
That was taken from a tasting review of Aberfeldy 12 Year, but despite having tried Talisker several times over the years, I’ve never actually (to the best of my knowledge) sat down and done a tasting review for it. So, this one is long overdue.
Some notes on Talisker itself:
It’s an Island malt, hailing from the Isle of Skye, so it’s not an Islay. If you get down in the weeds with the whisky-producing regions of Scotland, technically they’re not recognized as an official ‘region’ but are lumped in with the Highlands region, but they are kind of a distinct grouping that excludes Islay, despite Islay falling into the same geographical region. (Your mileage may vary for what whisky you can get ahold of ‘round your parts, but the most familiar names in this grouping to me are: Arran, Highland Park, Jura, and Tobermory.)
Talisker itself has been around since 1830 and suffered damage in a 1948 fire and had to be completely rebuilt after a fire in 1960. Their water source comes from springs directly above the distillery and the water ‘flows over peat’ which adds complexity to the whiskey. Their malted barley comes from Muir of Ord, and they frequently use American Oak casks. Interestingly (at least to me), the phenol level of the malt suggests a medium peating level, (per their wiki page anyway) which tracks with what I tasted.
(And yes, it’s true: Robert Louis Stevenson counted this as his favorite whisky and makes reference to it in his poem, ‘The Scotsman’s Return From Abroad.’)
Talisker 10 Year: The Tasting Notes
Color: dark yellow/deep honey, definitely not dark enough to push into amber/red territory.
Nose: I want to say salted caramel, but that’s probably wrong. Maybe toffee? But there are definitely ‘hints of the sea’ here, but there’s also an undertone of fruit. Something crisp, possibly pears or apples.
Body: It’s well balanced (but I always seem to say that) so let’s say instead: it’s not light and delicate, but it’s not something that sits heavily on the tongue, either. The medium peating levels suggested by the malt levels really emerge here. It doesn’t smell peaty like a lot of Islays do, but you can definitely taste it.
Finish: Wasn’t sure if I liked the finish at first. The peat hits the back of the throat pretty hard, but the warming is gradual and pleasant.
Overall: I am loathed to bring up comparisons to beer culture, but in many ways, people who swear by Islays are somewhat equivalent to beer drinkers who will extol the virtues of a hop-heavy IPA. I can drink Islays, I’ve tasted some excellent Islays down the years, but I can also understand how people can get overloaded with the smoke/peat on Islays as well. You would have to do a comprehensive survey of the Island Malts to be really sure, but I would offer up Talisker as a decent compromise.
If you don’t want to get drowned in smoke/peat from an Islay, try this. It doesn’t drown you in peat and although it’s probably marketing bullshit more than anything else, I would believe that there’s an undertone of salt here that does suggest those famed ‘hints of the sea.’ My Grade: 8.5/10 If you love peat, but not that much peat, this is an excellent whisky to buy.