Talisker 30 Year “Made by the Sea”
Review by: Whiskery Turnip
While passing through Sydney I took advantage of the Oak Barrel’s stash of mini-pours. The shop keeps a small, but always rotating supply of interesting whiskies stashed away in 30 ml bottles; perfect for the weary traveller. The Talisker 30 Year, a pre-2017 bottling from before the most recent packaging change, was too tempting to pass up!
Distillery: Talisker
Bottler: Distillery
Region: Scotland/Island Single Malt
ABV: 45.8%.
Age: 30 years.
Cask type: Oak
Price: US$34 for 30 ml at Oak Barrel (Sydney).
Nose: Musty and herbal, maritime, tobacco, industrial, polished wood, vegetal decay, tar, ginger.
Palate: Medium-bodied, maritime, malty, wood, kerosene and tar, tobacco, herbal and medicinal.
Finish: Medium to long and slightly drying with a kiss of salt, malty biscuit, and citrus rinds.
Mental Image: Professor Digitalus’ Museum of the Weird and Bizarre
Conclusion: I closed my eyes, and with the first whiff, a wide grin spread across my face— musty and herbal, the aroma spoke to tobacco pipes and old wooden wharves. Maritime and mildly industrial, the salty mineral brine of the sea washed in with petrol, tar, amber, and hints of polished wooden trunks. Musty vegetal decay lingered in the background with traces of ginger root, tallow, and a museum collection of ivory artifacts. Medium-bodied and balanced, the flavor profile hovered between maritime salt and malty biscuits with an initial burst of funk herbs and tobacco. Brine and polished wood brought to mind a boardwalk at night during a storm; subtle lamp oil and kerosene cast long shadows with hints of herbal tobacco and sandalwood. Inside and away from the rain, the salt continued to linger but now with malty molasses biscuits, menthol, camphor, and hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa. The finish was medium to long and slightly drying with a kiss of salt, malty biscuit, and citrus rinds.
I cannot think of another whisky I have tried where the herbal funk, somewhere between tobacco and musty medicinal herbs, hit first and then faded away. Usually, those notes wait until the end and then carry on through the finish, and they can either feel like a lovely twist or an ambush. On this dram, those notes provided a funky introduction and a through line to slightly medicinal herbs and spices. The affair was well-structured, with a lovely transition from the maritime boardwalk to the seaside Captain’s pub— I could almost hear mutterings about tides, the price of spice, and Neptune’s crossing.
Overall, a wonderful malt that is usually outside of my price range. I know some good friends will disagree, but I enjoyed this a touch more than the Talisker 27-Year from the 2013 Special ReleaseS. That dram is regarded as legendary, or at least on the road to legendary, and I thought the flavors on this were just a bit clearer and more complex. Either way, hard to go wrong with mature Talisker!
Final Score: 86.
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 