WF's Little Duos, today Talisker 10 and SR


October 1, 2025

WF's Little Duos, today Talisker 10 and SR

Talikser

Talisker Distillery (Diageo)

This year’s Special Releases have arrived very quietly, without fanfare. We’ll be tasting the Talisker first, and as for the others, we’ll see later. Indeed, I know, there’s been a lot of Talisker on WF lately, but we can’t help ourselves – we’re die-hard Talisker lovers.

Talisker 10 yo (45.8%, OB, +/-2025)

Indeed, we follow Talisker 10 religiously, year in, year out, and it remains one of the rare malts for which we actually do. We do it if only to confirm that no, the quality isn't dropping. Colour: gold. Nose: nothing doing, we still adore this expression, which conceals great finesse beneath a more imposing, even rather brutal façade. Velvet gloves inside an iron gauntlet, well, you know what I mean. A seafood platter, lemon, seaweed, damp earth and wet beach sand, olives, a barbecue lashed by an unexpected shower, tiny touches of oregano and dill... It's simply a flawless nose. Mouth: it's quite annoying how consistent this is, I think from now on I'll just copy and paste last year's notes each time. Brine and ashes, green pepper, lemon, sauvignon blanc, grapefruit, lapsang souchong, the faintest hint of honey... Did I mention the pepper? Finish: long, very fresh, magnificent. Comments: this admirable consistency is becoming a bit of a nuisance, but a delightful nuisance at that! Of course it is...
SGP:456 - 90 points.

Talisker 14 yo (53.9%, OB, Special Releases 2025)

You understand, this new baby was matured in bourbon and then 'finished in American oak casks toasted by the heat of volcanic rocks from Skye'. And to think it isn’t the 1st of April. 'Wilder frontiers of flavour for fearless explorers', they add, but are we fearless explorers, what do you say? In any case, we’re in stitches, so there’s that. Colour: white wine. Nose: zero chance after the 10-year-old, but let’s admit it, this is a very fresh, very narrow, almost surgical nose, and curiously closer to barley and... a hospital, with bandages and Mercurochrome, elements one generally finds more often on Islay. With water: becomes more austere and even abstract once water is added. Mouth (neat): if the idea was to move closer to Lagavulin, I have the honour and privilege to confirm it’s rather successful, even if the toasted wood feels a tad too prominent for my liking. It does suffer a bit after the splendid 10-year-old. With water: it edges nearer to the 10, which is excellent news, though with slightly less poise. A touch of cold ashes mid-palate. Finish: good length, but more drying, a little curled up around the ashes. Curry in the aftertaste, which is quite amusing. Comments: the storyline would make a Sicilian widow burst out laughing (apologies), but I confess the result is lovely. We now await with bated breath a Talisker 'Lagavulin finish' and, naturally, the reverse. But indeed, zero chance of catching up with the 10.
SGP:566 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Talisker we've tasted