Review by: ZoidbergOnTheRocks
A trio of old, high strength Talisker. There are a lot of vintages of these 25’s and 30’s, and while there is some variance between them in general they’re all pretty darn good.
Tasted on 10/16/2020, each neat in a Glencairn, then with a touch of water.
Overall notes:
I don’t feel you need to add water to any of these, and I haven’t in the past. They’re all absolutely excellent neat. I’ve added a touch of water to each towards the end for these reviews, only a few drops, just to give myself the chance to really see if it’s worth it here.
As for coloring and filtering: we have no information, but they’re all exactly the same color, so I’m assuming they’re colored. But given the mouthfeel on all of them, I’m gonna say they’re not chill filtered.
Talisker 25 bottled in 2009, this has been a special bottle for me for quite a while: my wife brought it back for me from England for my birthday in 2013 as a surprise. Moved to 250ml bottles a while ago.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 54.8%, cask strength
Age: 25 years old. Bottled in 2009.
Cask type: Refill Cask
Non-chill-filtered. #295 of 5,862 bottles.
Nose: light earthy peat smoke, seaweed, seashells, tangerine, lemon, green apples, brine, warm sand on the beach, iodine, camphor, vanilla cake. With water: fruit over sea now. Otherwise the same.
Taste: peat, light smoke, salty brine, light pepper, oily, thick, seawater, lemon, tangerine, lightly medicinal, keeps developing, liquorice. With water: even fruitier.
Finish: mild earthy smoke, salt, light spice, oily coating on the mouth, tangerine, seawater, a medium-longish finish, old wood. Finish lingers with pepper, citrus, seawater. And there’s something slightly old wood on the end of it. With water: more bright citrus in the finish, otherwise same.
This one is the fruitiest of the three by far, and it gets fruitier with water. Balance is good. Good complexity here, too, with a lot going on. Very maritime, the peat is well integrated and not overpowering at all, a little bit medicinal. Mouthfeel is excellent. High ABV Talisker is truly a joy.
Oh, I spilled a little of this on the trackpad of my MacBook Pro while doing this review. I licked as much off as I could… I’d say the maritime notes complement the aluminum and hand oils of the trackpad quite well.
Final Score: 93.
Talisker 27 Year (1985) Maritime Edition
This is a 27 year old Talisker distilled in 1985 and bottled in 2013 as part of Diageo’s Special Releases that year. This is from a 50/50 bottle split with Throwboats that we sprung for last year. I don’t have any info on color or filtering.
I had this many years ago and loved it, remembering it as one of the best Taliskers, and it had been on my list to acquire for a while so I was pretty happy to go in on a split for it!
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 56.1%, cask strength
Age: 27 years old. Distilled in 1985. Bottled in 2013.
Cask type: Refill American Oak
Non-chill-filtered. #1783 of 3,000 bottles.
Nose: rich earthy peat smoke, orange peel, mango, peach, vanilla, seawater, wet sand, lightly medicinal, almonds, sea spray, hemp rope, camphor. It’s complex and confusing at times. A lot going on. After a while there’s something almost floral in there. Green tea leaves… not full-on matcha, but close. With water: more earthy peat, vanilla custard.
Taste: big smoky peat, seawater, lemon, orange, peaches, pepper, a little dry, oily, a bit medicinal, thick mouthfeel, camphor, liquorice, mineral, earthy. With water: if anything the mouthfeel got thicker.
Finish: big burst of earthy peat smoke, ash, salty, pepper, tangerine, seawater, a bit medicinal, vanilia, almonds, a little dry, very long on that pepper, citrus, earthy, brine. A perfect, clean, coastal, smokey dram. With water: brought the fruit up a smidge, a bit more orange.
The smoke on this is the biggest of the three. And really, overall it hits the biggest of the three with big smoke and coastal notes backed up by wonderfully complex citrus, pepper, and a light medicinal character which works well here. Amazing balance with a lot of complexity. There is a shit ton going on here. I feel like I find something new every time I pick it up. This is a perfect expression of Talisker.
Final Score: 98.
Talisker 30 bottled in 2008, acquired and opened in 2015, a 70cl bottle for the UK market, moved to smaller bottles over time.
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Region: Scotland, Islands
ABV: 49.5%, cask strength
Age: 30 years old. Bottled in 2008.
Non-chill-filtered. #430 of 2,970 bottles.
Nose: earthy peat smoke, orange, lemon, sea spray, wet rocks at the beach mixed with kelp, lightly medicinal, liquorice, smoldering driftwood, walnuts, hemp rope, orange peel. With water: same.
Taste: orange, good peat smoke, brine, seashells, pepper, oily, olive oil, lightly medicinal, thick mouthfeel, rather subtle, drying, mineral. With water: same.
Finish: big and earthy peat smoke, pepper, brine, orange, seaweed, oil, seawater, walnuts, a bit medicinal, very long. Tails off into pepper, orange, and seawater. Excellent. With water: same.
The smoke isn’t necessarily big on the nose, but it pops on the palate and in the finish. Balance on this is amazing throughout, and it’s got good complexity. Nothing overwhelms anything else in it. It’s a big, smoky, coastal, citrusy dram that is, well, incredible.
Many minutes after drinking it you still get a lot of the best flavors, and you don’t want to drink anything else that might make it go away.
Final Score: 97.
Comparison
Order: 27 > 30 > 25
These are all very close, all excellent, all some of the best Talisker I have ever had. Each one is a treasure, and I’m going to seal them all back up and put them away for special occasions. I’m actually a little sad I pulled short drams from each for these reviews, but at least I’ve had a good evening!
The 27 wins this for the beautiful peat smoke, maritime, and citrus mix that is truly a treasure. I keep debating if I should give it a 10 or just a “very high 9.” Just stellar.
The 30 is amazing. The 2008 bottling is indeed one of the best 30s they did. I paid ~$525 for it in 2015 and honestly it’s worth every penny. Given current prices, I should have bought two. But I like the bigger smoke of the 27.
The 25 is also excellent. Not as well balanced as the other two, not as long of a finish. The other two are a clear cut above.
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 