Review by: The

This 2013 special release of Talisker from 2013 has quite the reputation.

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Distillery: Talisker.

Bottler: Talisker.

Region: Islands (Isle of Skye).

ABV: 56.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 27 years. Distilled in 1985. Bottled in 2013.

Cask type: Refill Ameerican oak casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose:

Simultaneously soft and intense. The first thing to jump out was some nose-prickling salt, then green apples. Next comes wax, leather, green tea, very soft peat, bonito flakes, and subtle seaweed. Old dry wood, and solventy notes. Acrylic paint? There’s a certain juiciness to the fruit as well, maybe from the salt. Lemon, pineapple, pear, grapefruit, passionfruit, and watermelon (candies). There’s pickled ginger, even sweet pickled onions. Some sweeter notes of honey, milk chocolate, vanilla, maple syrup, and caramel are there too.

With more time it got even juicier and chocolatier.

Palate:

Medium, oily. Fruit, and wax. Quite astringent up front. Then comes a big hit of peppery peat smoke, intermixed with honey. It develops to leather, oceanside rocks, rich nuts, and loads of foresty earthy notes.

Wow, after just letting it sit for another ten minutes, there’s now this fragrant tropical note: coconut and candied ginger. Macadamia nuts? Now I’m getting that hand cream note like I did in that Longrow. Apple skins and cinnamon. Lots of oaky and mineral notes, with a minty and almost juniper-y tail end.

Finish: Long, but lightening up. Lingering smoke, coming back to fruit, honey, and wax. There’s some bracingly tart citrus here, mixed with mineral notes and more earth. Some richer astringent notes of dark chocolate and espresso. Mist-filled coastal forest. Slate and tide pools. A tingle of black pepper. Lasting wax and pineapple. Juniper. Salted peanuts.

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Conclusion: Oh baby. After my first 2 sniffs of this, I let out a loud “oh yeah!”. Loads of character throughout. The nose especially is just awesome. I think I would have liked the experience on the palate and finish to be even more intense than they were, but the whisky certainly didn’t slouch there in terms of character and complexity. Nice oily texture too. It really takes me back to my time on the Isle of Mull, actually, with the crashing waves, tide pools, and misty cliffside forests. Absolutely killer whisky.

Final Score: 95.

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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.