Review by: The Muskox

This is an extra-peaty Talisker. How, uh, does that happen? Apparently, Talisker produces 3 different distillates with different levels of peat. That makes some sense to me, as I’ve had very smoky Taliskers before, as well as Taliskers that didn’t even seem peated. Will the extra peat knock my socks off, or just cover up the character of the spirit?

On an unrelated note, I find it hilarious to see some promotional images of this bottling that have been obviously edited to make the whisky look darker. Sigh.

---

Distillery: Talisker.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islands (Isle of Skye).

ABV: 59.7%. Cask strength.

Age: 8 years. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: Unknown, presumably all refill casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 0.2, Pale Straw. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

---

Nose: It really needs a lot of air time. When you first pour it, it is quite ethanol-y. After about half an hour in the glass, things do dissipate nicely though. When things do settle down, it is quite vegetal in scent. You get a fresh vegetable scent of some root vegetables. Celery, radishes, and kohlrabi are what come to mind. It has that “crisp” scent to it that comes along with those vegetables. Something akin to lemongrass also makes and appearance along with a bit of the sherry.

Palate: Oily texture. Arrives richly smoky and salty, with smoked almonds, banana funk, and cooked sugar. Green vegetal smoke, grilled peppers, and green apples. Brackish mud and salt-marsh funk, with more rock dust and turmeric.

Finish: Medium-short. Intense salt and savoury smoke. Strong salted nuts, ocean-soaked wool sweaters. Sweeter notes appear as the flavour fades, crabapple and light brown sugar.

---

Conclusion: I’m disappointed. The whisky certainly delivers on its premise: it’s by far the peatiest Talisker I’ve ever tried, at the same peat level as very strong Islays. It’s also the saltiest Talisker I’ve tried so far. It’s not a bad whisky, but instead of being richly complex and balanced like my favourite Taliskers, it’s just a peat+salt bomb and not much else besides. The salt and peat flavours seem exaggerated, almost grotesque. I guess that was the idea. It’s not all that far off from Torabhaig to be honest, but with an oilier texture, much less sweet, and much more savoury. I honestly kind of expected not to love this, but it’s still a drag to have been right.

Final Score: 78.

---

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.