Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
A couple of pretty standard Taliskers to compare. Talisker 10 is an old standby, but I have to say it’s been a while since I’ve gone to this DE bottle. Tasted on 10/3/2020, neat in a Glencairn.
This is a standard bottle of Talisker 10, though it’s a bit old actually, from 2008. It’s been open for a couple of years and I think I’ve been a bit remiss… it shouldn’t have lasted this long 😉 Is that how you know you have too much Scotch, when good, solid bottles go untouched for two years? Food for thought.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 45.8%
Age: 10 years old. Bottled in 2008.
Nose: clean peat smoke, seaweed, apples and orange marmalade, a light spice, perhaps some paraffin, a touch of iodine and hot sand.
Taste: peat smoke, mild pepper, salt, seaweed, sweet orange, some waxiness. Somewhat thin mouthfeel.
Finish: peat smoke, pepper, orange, some salt, perhaps a touch of seaweed, pretty short.
This is always a good one, with clean smoke and fruity sweetness balanced with some nice sea notes. It’s not the most complex dram out there, and it’s not subtle at all, but it works. I can’t find any off notes. A nice finish that is sadly pretty short, and the mouthfeel is a bit light. I can’t help but think this would be much improved without the filtering.
Final Score: 78.
Talisker (2003) Distillers Edition
Talisker Distillers Edition, it’s finished for an unspecified time in Amoroso casks… wait, what’s the difference between Amoroso and Oloroso?? Bottled at a very Talisker 45.8%.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 45.8%
Age: NAS. Distilled in 2003. Bottled in 2014.
Cask type: Double Matured in Amoroso Sherry Wood
Nose: peat smoke, sherry, orange peel, creamy, sweet, figs, little seaweed, a bit of light allspice in there, a slight note of hot tires in the background.
Taste: peat, smoke, slightly tannic, orange peel, dark sherry, thin mouthfeel, then lots of pepper and salt build, actually seems a bit hot at times.
Finish: rich peat smoke and sherry notes pop on the finish, lots of pepper, salt, seaweed, sweetness, bitter orange, a decent length surprisingly. Tails off a smidge bitter.
The sherry finish on this is really obvious on the nose and it smothers some of the other notes I find in the 10. Sometimes a sherry finish is pretty subtle, but not here. In particular, it feels like the sea and medicinal notes are really suppressed. The mouthfeel is pretty thin and seems surprisingly hot.
Final Score: 77.
Comparison
Order: 10 > DE
Both are good, but I’ll take the stock 10yr over this 2014 DE any day. The 10 is bright, clean, and well balanced. The DE is muddied by the sherry finish honestly: I lose some of the better Talisker notes and the balance is poor, and it seems surprisingly rough comparatively.
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.
Malt Runners 