Let’s soar high for the love of Talisker


March 18, 2026

Let’s soar high for the love of Talisker

I know, another slightly daft headline. In any case, nothing really new from the officials in the pipeline at WF Towers, but there are quite a few independent bottlings we’re looking forward to tasting. We’ll revisit the official 10-year-old from a very recent batch, much talked about at the moment, next time.

Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vol.1 (Paramount)

Talisker 1940 (70° proof, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, Rare Old Liqueur, sherry, mid/late 1950s)

Some amusing mentions on the label, such as ‘It’s a Fine Speerit The Talisker’ and ‘There’s No A Petter Made’. This is not Bolognese dialect, we have checked. Let us be frank, these are controversial bottles, with levels often very high and glass often immaculate, yet labels invariably rather worn. It seems there have been several versions, which we readily find at very reputable auction houses, that latter point being rather reassuring. 40%/70°proof etc. But the proof is in the pudding, I mean, in the glass… Colour: amber. Nose: pretty much zero doubt, unless someone slightly unhinged has entirely re-dressed a very old Talisker from G&M or BB&R, which would make little sense. In short, it is very much on an old heap of coal at the back of a slightly damp cellar, with cigar ashes, saltpetre, soot, old liqueurs made from buds, chiefly fir, and bitter cocoa from the sherry. Not a gram of sweetness, everything is dry as a truncheon blow. We rather like this. Let us see whether the palate is a little tired, which, all things considered, would almost be good news. You see what we mean. Mouth: we find the bitterness again, the coal-like side, but also those old fir liqueurs, this time joined by bitter orange. The coastal side is well present too this time, with salt but also Talisker’s proverbial black pepper. If this is not old Talisker, it is devilishly well imitated. Finish: not very long, of course, but the cigar ashes return, ashes that we might have extinguished by dousing them with a little seawater, then with gentian eau-de-vie, what an idea. Comments: this is Talisker already made under the D.C.L. regime and after the end of triple distillation, yet before the more significant renovations of the distillery. What is rather more troubling is that I don’t think we have ever seen another Talisker 1940, have you? Was this the only one ever released?
SGP:363 - 90 points.

It's to be noted that as of today, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, known as Wolves and now Marston's, is/was the UK’s largest regional brewer and pub operator. Indeed, like many UK brewers, it also operates its own distribution network, with over 1,600 managed and tenanted pubs. One can assume that this Talisker was intended to supply the company’s pubs at the time, which may explain why a fair number of bottles can be found on the market. The brewery division was recently acquired by Carlsberg.

Just another heads-up: I’ve seen some well-meaning people surprised to come across ‘proof’-labelled versions with Italian tax seals on the necks. It’s worth knowing that some Italian merchants and collectors were required by customs to apply these seals, often long after they had acquired the bottles. Mystery solved.

Right then, a bit of kerosene…

Talisker 15 yo 1979/1994 (63.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

Of course, this baby was ‘Matured in an Oak Cask’. We know, a running gag worth two pennies, yet it still makes us chuckle every time. Colour: white wine. Nose: not the first Talisker 1979 from Cadenhead that we have tasted, but here it is almost a little too strong, with lemon and cologne water leading the charge, rather in the style of a white agricole rum at 65% vol, along with seawater. With water: well, it does not change much, even at around 45% vol, it even drifts slightly towards medicinal alcohol, with rather light smoke, with a few oysters, nonetheless. Mouth (neat): it lands two slaps straight away. And amusingly, we find exactly the same composition as on the nose before reduction, lemon, cologne water and seawater, plus white rum. With water: it is better, much better, both fat and taut at once, with chlorophyll and salt, as well as shellfish, not only oysters, clams, winkles... On the other hand, as often with these vintages, the smoke is not particularly massive, yet the cold ashes are very much present. Finish: long, very maritime, with oysters returning drenched in lemon juice. Comments: perhaps not the greatest, yet still magnificent. Ah, the 1979 from The Bottlers!
SGP:364 - 89 points.

I think we’ll push it a bit further…

Talisker 18 yo 1979/1997 (63.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

In your view, in what kind of cask was this baby raised? Bravo! Colour: pale gold. Nose: more on waxed cardboard and paraffin, the daily paper just delivered, read at 6 in the morning with a proper coffee, slag, coal, seaweed, a few autumn leaves, and not that much alcohol, all things considered. With water: magnificent, this impression of grapefruit stored in a kiln for two or three weeks, with a splendid oiliness on the nose. Mouth (neat): not two slaps, a proper uppercut, and an unbelievable quantity of salt and pepper, followed by tar. With water: now it really speaks, sharp as a Toledo blade, fir liqueurs and other resinous notes are back, seawater is immense, and of course the pepper too. This peppery side seems less present in more recent Taliskers, but we shall check that in a few minutes, happy to oblige. Finish: very long, almost rugged, with slightly drying ashes now to the fore, a certain harshness, let us say, it loses one or two points at this stage, yet it remains high. Despite touches of salted limoncello that arrive right at the end. Comments: no, it is a formidable bottle, just a bit of a bruiser, like almost the entirety of this range at that time (1990s).
SGP:364 - 90 points.

A Skye Whisky 22 yo 2003/2026 (47.7%, Kanpaikai & The Antelope, refill sherry cask, cask #T035)

This cannot yet be Torabhaig, can it. Colour: full gold. Nose: cough syrup for giants, or for lion-horses, according to the label. In short, it is massively concentrated on eucalyptus and fir buds, camphor, propolis, cannabis resin, then earth and salted liquorice. This salmiak-resin side is extremely spectacular and ultra-concentrated. Small touches of green tea in the background, perhaps to soothe things a little. Mouth: what we sometimes call a ‘Kill Bill’ palate, you know, Uma Thurman with her Japanese sword, yet one is quickly tended to with eucalyptus preparations, tincture of iodine, mercurochrome, then that salted limoncello side we have, I believe, already mentioned above. A formidable palate, with rather rare power despite the degrees being, all things considered, fairly moderate. Finish: long, resinous, peppery (there), lemony, as saline as can be, and above all it keeps invading your palate for at least five minutes, come on, ten, no, fifteen. Comments: it is amusing, of course very different, while it rather makes us think of Hampden, we swear.
SGP:465 - 91 points.

Talisker 12 yo 2011/2024 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, Fanatical about Flavour, 150 bottles)

A bottle not easy to come by, yet these Taliskers by DL are always spot on, even their youngest versions, even at 5 or 6 years of age. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: we love this, not a microgram of oak, only lemon, green apples, ashes, clay and tincture of iodine. Mouth: that ‘blade’ sensation is very much present here, it slices you into two perfectly equal halves, as we sometimes say, and it is essentially seawater mixed with lime and conifer ashes. Just avoid going the wrong way, it could quite wreck your troat, we have just tried. Finish: long, taut as a competition bow, and absolutely magnificent. Comments: a seminal malt, let us say. It reminds us somewhat of the greatest batches of the official 10-year-old. A sublime little bottle, but do try to find it, believe us, we have failed.
SGP:466 - 91 points.

It’s time to move on to the last one, six is a nice number.

Talisker 12 yo 2011/2024 (56.7%, Harmony Whisky x Lucky Choice, Refill Hogshead, cask #80018686, 108 bottles)

A wee bottling for China. Our Chinese friends are extremely sharp when it comes to spirits, it has to be said, and we shall in fact try to organise a session of great baijiu one of these days. Colour: gold. Nose: somewhat in the vein of the previous DL, yet with a layer of vanilla, mandarin liqueur and beeswax, and it works beautifully. With water: the marriage is perfect, there are even wafts of citrus soap as one might encounter in five-star hotels around the globe. Mouth (neat): superb, fatter than the DL OP FAF, waxier, almost thicker, rootier as well, yet the rest remains similar, oysters, seawater, ashes, fir buds. With water: it is the medicinal side that comes through, we are quite sure this would cure absolutely everything. Finish: very long, on propolis, salt, peppermint and bitter lemons. It is at this stage that we feel like mentioning Uma Thurman once again. Comments: yet another bottle for the FAT (Federation of Aficionados of Talisker). Well, we do not believe such a thing truly exists, it is not that easy to find enough different Taliskers these days to sustain such a distinguished federation.
SGP:566 - 91 points.

Well, I do think we flew very high today. Taking a small dram of the Wolverhampton & Dudley again to round things off, you realise the distillate hasn’t changed all that much over seventy years, despite the successive rebuilds and expansions of the famous distillery. And above all, that it was very probably authentic, given how these six little beauties conversed with one another without the slightest dissonance or discord.

(Thanks a bunch, Franco, KC and Patrick)

Check the index of all Talisker we've tasted