Review by: The Muskox

So, I have an interesting history with this particular Talisker. Literally my first experience with scotch was muling a bottle of this back from the distillery for a friend of mine. I had zero interest in the whisky at the time, but, well, times have changed. This port-finished expression is named after Portree, the largest town on Skye, which also happens to contain the word “port”. Get it???

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Distillery: Talisker.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islands (Isle of Skye).

ABV: 45.8%.

Age: No age statement.

Cask type: Ruby port cask finish.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: e150. Chill-filtered.

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Nose: Dark and deep. Lots of syrupy-sweet port notes: blood orange, maraschino cherry, and Jolly ranchers. Coastal and waxy. Earthy, slightly funky peat smoke and cedar. Roasted pork maybe. Reminds me a little of my dad’s barbequed chicken which he glazes with apricot jam.

Palate: Quite a thin mouthfeel. Dark and earthy, with sugar-coated berries and poblano pepper. Some salt and lime as well. Charred meat and peat in the middle. Lots of blood orange, developing to chocolate fudge, then tobacco, coffee beans, and seaweed.

Finish: Earthy. Red grapes, orange, and coffee beans. More wax.

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Conclusion: Solid, if a bit mundane. My buddy Brad always notes that this whisky “tastes exactly like you think it will”. Meaning, it’s not much more than the sum of its parts. I think I agree with him. It’s a tasty sipper, but doesn’t have a whole lot of depth to it.

Final Score: 77.

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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.