Talisker 10 Year (2010) Hunter Laing First Editions

Review by: The Muskox

Okay, I can’t keep up all the ludicrous 70s/60s bottles forever. Time for your standard, everyday… [checks notes]… indie-bottled Talisker.

Distillery: Talisker.

Bottler: Hunter Laing.

Region: Scotland/Islands (Isle of Skye).

ABV: 57.6%. Cask strength.

Age: 10 years. Distilled in 2010. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: Cask #17807, a sherry butt.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 1.1, Burnished. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Sweet, salty, and rather smoky. Juicy orange, caramel apples, Asian pear, white cherries, and papaya. Rich milk chocolate and soft caramels. Fatty pork belly, light soy, sweet chili sauce. Fragrant notes of lemongrass and cilantro. Slightly nose-singeing.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives very fruity and very salty, somehow getting even saltier through the development. Toasted coconut, orange, and a little pineapple. Rich smoky spice in the middle – flamed cinnamon, burning maple wood, grilled shishito peppers, and more of that sweet chili sauce. Milk chocolate and candy apples.

Finish: Medium-short, citrusy and salty. Orange, plums, banana, and some guava. Slightly floral. Mineral salts and char siu. Lingering smoked meat.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Five Alive (after unexplained yacht blaze)“

Conclusion: This is a good one! With the chocolatey smoke nose, I’d have been tempted to guess that this was a Benromach if I tried it blind. I love the burst of tropical fruit and citrus on the palate, and the follow-up into smoke. There’s good Talisker salt all throughout too. If I was a huge fan of Talisker 10 looking to try my first single-cask whisky, I’d be thrilled with this bottle.

Final Score: 84.

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.

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