Talisker 57° North

Review by: TOModera

I don’t think I’ll ever be more confused about a distillery than Talisker.

To start off, the negative, because I eat my veggies first, meat second.

They are owned by Diageo (boo, boo, booo-urns!) And that makes people annoyed, as they could be making interesting, crazy things, but are hampered by a large corporation that makes money.

Well, not THAT hampered. I mean, somewhat, true, that we usually only get the DE, the 18, the 10, the 25, and the one we’re reviewing today, Talisker 57° North. But we don’t see truly crazy ones too often.

Wait, maybe this is the free-ist of the free of the Diageo family, now that I think about it.

Still, boo. On to the good news.

This is a NAS bottling, named for the fact that the Isle of Skye. Okay, not good yet, we don’t really know too much about it, as they don’t really tell use. It is Cask Strength though.

Well, close enough. I’m guessing someone added a little water for Marketing to have the coincidental Abv. Still, I liked the 10 year, so cask strength should be better.

Right?

Thanks to krisjoon for sending me this dram in a swap.

Distillery: Talisker Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Isle of Skye, Islands, Scotland.

ABV: 57.0%. Cask strength.

Age: Unknown

Cask type: Unknown.

Price: $174.95 (CAD)… or as we call it here, ludicrous.

Color: Caramel

Nose: Tannin, sea salt, peat, lemon zest, dark cocoa, cream, ozone, white cake

That familiar brine and peat hits you, along with some sweet notes. Granted there’s a smell like an old microwave blew up too, which worries me.

Not like I think krisjoon is trying to poison me, just… well, worried it’s gone off.

Taste: Lemon, peat, ocean air, caramel, metallic, pepperoni

Simple flavour… Simple enough for poison!

Ahem….

Seriously though, it tastes a bit weaker than the 10 year. There’s not a lot going on here. Doesn’t have a thick mouthfeel either. Sad.

Finish: Caramel, sea salt, anise, chocolate, nutmeg, gingerbread

It’s a smooth, sweet, sweet, (did I mention sweet), herbal finish. Feels thicker now.

Just like poison!

Wait, not really like poison. Poison usually doesn’t taste great. At least that’s what I’ve been told. 

Conclusion:

Poison would have had less of a letdown. At least you know where you stand with poison.

But this had so much potential. I wanted to enjoy this and brag about it and cheer for it. And it’s just… meh. I’d have the 10 instead. Or the DE. Even a little water didn’t do anything for me.

Oh well. It’s just okay.

Final Score: 79.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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