Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for a high ABV Talisker. So here’s two good ones, tasted on 10/8/2020, neat in a Glencairn to start, then water for both.
Talisker 8 Year 2018 Special Release
An 8 year old Talisker from Diageo’s Special Release in 2018 bottled a whopping 59.4%. Well damn, that sounds good. This one is a 70cl for the UK market. First-fill ex-bourbon American oak casks which were “deep-charred”, and marked natural cask strength.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 59.4%, cask strength
Age: 8 years old. Distilled in 2009. Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads
Non-chill-filtered. One of 4,680 bottles.
Nose: light wood smoke, medicinal, citrus lemon and orange, sea spray, ethanol. With water: more peat than wood smoke now, medicinal, still with the lemon/orange and sea notes, the heat is gone, it’s more mineral with wet rocks, some nuttiness, a touch of vanilla.
Taste: pepper, peat smoke, medicinal, lemon, seawater, hot. With water: sweeter w/ lemon, peat smoke, still medicinal, seaweed, salt, light pepper, medium mouthfeel, a bit tannic.
Finish: sweet lemon, peat smoke, pepper, seaweed, salt, nice length with salted lemons, the sea, and some light smoke. With water: big on lemon and peat smoke, seawater, seaweed, mild pepper, medicinal, finish is long on lemon, seawater, pepper and mild smoke.
Exceeds expectations. Excellent with water, it’s big on lemon, peat smoke, medicinal and sea notes. Nice length finish, not an off-note in sight, and a pretty decent mouthfeel. Pretty simple and it’s not subtle at all, but damn is it good. I’m still surprised this is just 8 years old.
Final Score: 87.
Talisker 15 Year 2019 Special Release
This is the 15yr from Diageo’s Special Release in 2019, bottled at natural cask strength of 57.3%. This dram is from a sample from Throwboats. Apparently the casks were freshly charred American oak hogsheads.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 57.3%, cask strength
Age: 15 years old. Bottled on 07/04/2019.
Cask type: Charred American Oak Hogsheads
Non-chill-filtered. One of 42,222 bottles.
Nose: peat smoke, lemon, maritime w/ seaweed & sea shells, medicinal, a little white pepper, some wax. With water: Much more subtle and the heat is gone, but still with the same peat smoke, lemon, maritime and medicinal notes.
Taste: lemon, seawater, peat smoke, pepper, salt, hot. With water: sweet lemon, seawater, earthy peat smoke, very mild pepper, a bit creamy, maybe some apricot tossed in there.
Finish: lemon, earthy peat smoke, seaweed, pepper, drying, nice length still with pepper, lemons, and seawater. With water: a nice pop of lemon and earthy peat smoke, feels bigger with water. Still a bit dry, less pepper, still has the nice sea notes with a bit more of the medicinal tossed in. A bit of apricot. Better balance. Good length, still on lemons and seawater with just a hint of light pepper.
This is also very good with water. Overall a great citrus flavor with an earthy peat smoke, tons of sea notes and nicely medicinal. Balance is excellent with water. No off-notes at all. This is far more subtle on the nose than the 8 but just as big in the mouth and finish. It’s fairly simple, and like the younger one I’d have gone higher on it if it were more complex.
Damn, now I’m sad I didn’t get a bottle of this one.
Final Score: 88.
Comparison
Order: 15 > 8
These are both great. The 15 is a bit more polished than the 8, and I feel like I’m splitting hairs choosing between them. Both of these are excellent value for money, that’s for sure.
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 