Today Talisker NAS


June 12, 2023

WF's Little Duos, today Talisker NAS

All this because several friends have told me that Diageo have used my name without asking me, while making a mistake with one letter, writing 'Talisker Surge' instead of 'Talisker Serge'. Naturally, I've hired the best lawyers in New York and we are about to sue them in court, but In a pretty Cosmo-Kramer kind of move, I now say send me a miniature of Talisker 10 years old every year for life, and we'll be square. Or you'll face the consequences of your most misleading actions… The new Talisker x Parley is perhaps more interesting...

Talisker 'Surge' (45.8%, OB, 2022)

NAS, but 100% bourbon! Although that would be a finishing in bourbon, so I suppose refill hoggies + bourbon. That's the USP here, It seems, certainly not the name (S., you won't get away with this!) Colour: gold. Nose: barbecue, bacon, vanilla, sardines, mint, orange zests, clams, chives, almond paste, fresh baguette, vanilla, liquorice allsorts, jellybeans. The re-racking feels, for it made Talisker sweeter and fruitier on the nose, in a Laphroaig-Select or Ardbeg-An-Oa kind of way. Very, very easy Talisker, more a canoe than a three-master but this is very pleasant. Mouth: indeed, it's probably a little too easy, sweet and juvenile for the mighty Talisker, but naturally, it will 'go down without a frown', as they say in all pubs in Scotland. Some ashes, a little pepper and a little salt(iness), otherwise apple juice, vanilla fudge, williams pears and papayas. That's the bourbon. Finish: medium, sweet, easy. Preserved peaches, some easy Szechuan pepper, some pears, some wine gums. Comments: the easiest side of Talisker. I'm not totally sure I understand the pricing policy, but it's true that this is 2023.
SGP:633 - 84 points.
UPDATE: it did indeed experience a 100% full-term maturation in ex-bourbon casks.

Talisker 'x Parley Wilder Seas' (48.6%, OB, 2023)

This one was finished in cognac casks (XO, baby) while the bottle itself is said to be much more carbon-savvy than usual. One of the goals here, shared with 'Parley', is to 'rewild more than 100 million square metres of ocean forest'. It all feels a little 'Nestlé' to me, but that's absolutely not bad news. As for why cognac, maybe that's because the Cognac region is kind of stretching along the ocean… No? Colour: gold. Nose: a moment please, but this is lovely! I would suppose they've got great casks from Moët-Hennessy. I believe the balance is exactly right, not cognacqy, still Talisker, with some lapsang souchong tea sweetened with honey, plus some lemon juice and those yellow peaches that can make young XOs so fragrant and lively. Awesome touches of softer tar and some menthol. Honestly, it reminds me of some much older, wonderfully polished expressions of Talisker. Mouth: but who did the blending? Smoke and citrus and Szechuan pepper and peaches and lemon and oysters (from the Cognac region, Marennes Oléron of course). Exactly right. Finish: only the finish is a wee tad sweet(ish), for unknown reasons. Let's say three sultanas per litre. The rest is Talisker, including the right amount of pepper. Comments: Diageo give £3 per bottle to the oceans (long story short). Let's all buy a palette and we'll sleep easy and peacefully, with a much deserved feeling of accomplishment. Seriously and more prosaically, it's a great tipple. Adidas x Parley sneakers are good too.
SGP:554 - 89 points.

Check the index of all Talisker we've tasted so far