We can deconstruct Talisker too


April 7, 2025

We can deconstruct Talisker too...

... But in a different way, of course. In fact, last October the owners announced the demolition and reconstruction of the distillery, doubling its capacity. However, it seems they are still in the consultation phase with local residents and with, as I seem to remember, some people in Scotland sometimes used to call them, the ‘sandals’ (various environmental groups, whether public or private) — at least according to Radio Skye. Anyway, we’ll see. In the meantime, we’re going to sample a few recent examples of its production.

Jack Wiebers, who is also President of the
German Mouse Protection Association,
introduces a remarkable young Talisker to
us in Lucerne (2025, WF Archive)

Talisker 10 yo (45.8%, OB, +/-2024)

For my part, no NAS version has managed to surpass the 10-year-old in recent years, and I don’t say that out of animosity towards NAS bottlings, not at all. In fact, it rather seems to me that the 10 is making more frequent appearances again, so not everything is going to the dogs in this sorry world. Colour: gold. Nose: yes, that’s it, there you have it, lemon marmalade, ashes, smoke, camphorated massage balms, oysters and other shellfish, and the ever-anticipated twist of cracked black pepper. Impeccably impeccable, a flawless and luminous profile. Mouth: it’s perfect, a bit like bumping into an old friend who hasn’t changed a jot. A flawless tension of salt and lemon, a kind of Scottish margarita, seawater, olives… It’s almost more of a dry martini than a margarita, when all is said and done. And I’d swear it leaves salt on your lips, even if that’s technically impossible. Or so they say. Finish: terrifying in that it immediately calls for another glass, with that smoky, very saline manzanilla-esque edge. And the worst part is, it’s actually quite refreshing. Comments: same score as usual, I’m afraid.
SGP:456 - 90 points.

A quick one from the previous year to bridge the gap, since the last one we’d tasted before today was from 2022…

Talisker 10 yo (45.8%, OB, +/-2023)

Colour: gold. Nose: not sure if it’s the extra twelve months time or so in bottle, but this one leans a little more towards cut apple and brine, and a little less towards ashes and smoke. The rest is identical, as expected. Very lovely, with also a slightly flintier side emerging after a few seconds. Mouth: yes, a touch oilier here, with a little smoked salmon with lemon and dill in addition to everything else. Finish: long and indeed a little more complex, though not quite enough to justify a higher score. Comments: you should buy these inexpensive bottles in bulk and cellar them for twenty or twenty-five years. De nada, my pleasure.
SGP:456 - 90 points.

Talisker 'Distillers Edition' (45.8%, OB, Edition 2022)

Still a double maturation in sweet ‘amoroso’ sherry casks, but no more age statement, and farewell to those charmingly cryptic little codes on the label, such as ‘TD-S: 5XJ’, which also doubled up nicely as passwords for dodgy websites. Generally speaking, the ‘DE’ tended to lag about five points behind the 10 yo. Colour: gold. Nose: yes, it’s a softened 10-year-old, rounder, fruitier, occasionally verging on the exotic, but certainly very pleasant. Someone seems to have kilned an orange cake. Mouth: the difference from the 10 yo is even more pronounced here, with raisins slightly throwing off the Taliskerian mechanics, there are some buds and a wee bit of rubber, though it still works rather well. Finish: long, fattier than the 10, rounder, perhaps a tad maltier. A slightly bittersweet aftertaste. Comments: exactly where we expected it to land.
SGP:555 - 85 points.

Look here, we had an even older one yet to taste... BTW, in fact, originally, ‘amoroso’ was an oloroso to which 10 to 20% of sweet PX or moscatel was added, for the English market. By Jove!

Talisker 1996/2008 'Distiller's Edition' (45.8%, OB, TD-S: 5KW, 1litre)

Still seasoned with amoroso. Colour: deeper gold. Nose: the base is very close, but there’s more minerality here, a touch of soot, saltpetre, Mercurochrome, bruised apples, bitter oranges, old pinot gris… In short, it’s more complex, though to be fair there are fourteen extra years in bottle, which could well make a difference. And here, I do think it does, quite clearly. Mouth: yes, it’s more complex, more herbal, with a peat that’s even more forward, tobacco, a drop of Tabasco, green walnut, oysters… One almost gets the sense that the distillate has fully digested the sweetness of the amoroso. Finish: long, leather, tobacco, walnut, pepper… Comments: not something that would put the 10 yo to shame either, but this is a rather handsome Talisker that has become more tertiary.
SGP:566 - 87 points.

Talisker ‘Distillery Exclusive Batch 02’ (48%, OB, 2023)

A blend of refill bourbon and PX. I imagine that if you ask nicely at the distillery, they’ll tell you the age or vintage of these whiskies, otherwise the move might come across as a little bit cheap... Colour: gold. Nose: it’s a lovely Talisker but with a more modern twist, that is to say, more influenced by wood, resins, sugars and spices. This often veers into resinous territory and in truth, that’s rather the case here, to the point it somewhat blankets the powerful distillate. Fir honey, liquorice, marmalade, marzipan and mussels in white wine. That we like. Mouth: it’s rich, fairly creamy, really very good actually, despite that apparent modernity. Smoked spices and citrus, ginger, vanilla and cocoa. Finish: long, becoming more maritime at this stage, though still rather fat, spicy, peppery, rich and… modern. Comments: a touch of Indian spices, whatever that may mean. Still, it does feel quite young, all things considered.
SGP:566 - 87 points.

Let’s move on to the independents, if you don’t mind — especially as they’re generally more distillate-driven, although things do seem to have been changing on that front over the past few years…

Talisker 12 yo 2010/2023 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL17861, 163 bottles)

The Laing brothers were rather sharp-nosed in securing a good stock of young Talisker around the turn of the 2010s, which now allows us to enjoy them with great pleasure. Even at just 5 years of age they were already quite perfect, if you recall. Colour: white wine. You see, less wood. Nose: oh yes yes yes, ashes, a kiln in full operation, chalk, bread dough, a bread oven, focaccia, white wines from the Jura or the Alps, laundry, salsify, a brand-new pullover, heaps of soot… In any case, all of this we adore, even if it’s rather austere. Magnificently austere. Mouth: great austere purity, great beauty, and a clearly difficult edge, almost challenging. Feels like drinking a cocktail of yeast, turnip purée, lime juice, chalk, sourdough starter, crab apples… You get the idea. Finish: same, sharp, more citric and acidic still. Liquorice wood in the aftertaste. Comments: some parts might put off your neighbours at aperitif hour, but if you ask me, that’s very good news indeed.
SGP:467 - 89 points.

Talisker 9 yo (50.4%, Whisky Racing, Jack Wiebers, bourbon and Port, cask #3921, 106 bottles, +/-2025)

Most probably from the same racing stables as the previous one, which is good news of course. Talisker is like mezcal or Jamaican rum, it can be superb even at a very young age, though fair enough, 9 years isn’t exactly infantile. By the way, ‘don’t drink and drive’. Colour: full gold. Nose: the modern Distillery Only character is back, the casks must have been pretty active (as the colour confirms), with a combination of zest, smoke, vanilla, ginger and olives. Truth be told, it’s utterly gorgeous, all of it ticking together with the synchronicity of a Formula 1 engine (that should earn me a beer). With water: the candied fruit from the Port does show a little more, but it remains under control, worry not, the distillate stands firm. Mouth (neat): alas, it’s irresistible, a little sweet perhaps but so fabulously smoky and phenolic. Salty zest smoked over fir wood. With water: saps and resins, citrus, salt, green olives, seawater, candied ginger, and green peppercorns. Finish: it keeps dancing the same dance for quite a while. Comments: I think we too often forget just how ‘big’ Talisker can be.
SGP:567 - 89 points.

One last one — a collectivist Talisker one might say...

Talisker 1998/2017 (56.6%, Keepers of the Quaich, for the Autumn Banquet 2017, refill sherry butt, cask #6829, 618 bottles)

If you’re wondering why I’d never tasted this Talisker before, well it’s simply because I only became a Keeper in 2018, by which time the stocks, I believe, had already been depleted. But all good things to those who wait, and here’s the proof. Colour: pale gold. Nose: I think ‘elegance’ is the word that fits best here, nothing sticks out, it’s a whole, a complex assembly of the usual citrus fruits, everything oceanic, and spices steered by pink and green peppercorns. It’s certainly smoky, but the peat merely punctuates the ensemble, never interrupting the conversation. Well, you know what I mean. With water: it’s almost like nosing a perfectly ripe blood orange. Mouth (neat): same feeling of harmony, but above all there are some truly exceptional tropical fruits, led by mango and passion fruit. As if the peat had already begun to transmute, like in an old Lagavulin or Laphroaig. With water: and here come the waves, pink pepper, shellfish, smoked fish, and yet more mango. Finish: everything gathers round the oranges, which is of course perfect. Comments: a devilish Talisker, at the height of its powers, full of sweetness yet showing not a hint of weakness.
SGP:666 - 91 points.

... But how hard it is to beat the ‘basic’ 10-year-old! A situation you also find at Ardbeg or Springbank, for instance (IMHO).

(Merci, Nick!)

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