Review by: The Muskox
I’ve been lucky to drink some rather amazing Talisker in my time – for example, I’ve had to cut a planned side-by-side review of four different releases of the 25-year-old cask strengths from my review schedule to make room for more of these crazy 70s drams. This one from 1976 is the oldest vintage I’ve tried yet.
Distillery: Talisker.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Islands.
ABV: 51.9%. Cask strength.
Age: 30 years. Distilled in 1976. Bottled in 2006.
Cask type: Sherry casks.
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Color added. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Very fragrant, layered, moderately smoky. The smoke has a savoury and industrial edge – fried oysters, lit paraffin candles, machine shop, a hint of lapsang souchong. Spicy black pepper, pickled hot peppers, and crunchy sea salt flakes. Kombucha-like effervescence and tang. Roasted almonds and crushed black sesame seeds. There’s some old-whisky charm here too – beeswaxed wood boards and old books. Sweet fruit notes of dried apricots, muscat grapes, apple jam, fragrant citrus peels. Palm fronds and grass.
Palate: Medium texture. Arrives very salty and a little savoury at first, with chicken soup with dill, grilled seafood. Turns to soft tropical plants, banana, and lime. Slow rich build towards coastal, herbal, and earthy flavours on the development. Dry peat, petrichor, eucalyptus, and turmeric. Loads of fresh wet soil, garden brimming with veggies, briny green olives. Bright mineral notes of chalk, iodine, and seashells. Sweeter hints of oak, milk chocolate, and vanilla.
Finish: Medium-long, warming. The oak is very subtle, with flavours leaning more towards earth and pepper. Petrichor, cool herbs, more turmeric, wet grass, and pea pods. Charred pepper steak, earthy peat, more green olives, peppery olive oil, smashed shells, and a hint of iodine. Honey and mango. There’s some subtle sherry notes coming through: berry jams, dark chocolate, butterscotch.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Shipwreck struck by lightning”
Conclusion: What a whisky. Layers upon layers of earthy and coastal flavours, as complex as I’ve ever come across. With the pepper and salty peat, it’s a very Talisker-y Talisker – I’d be very pleased to blow a wad of money on this if I were a deranged Talisker fanatic. The diversity of flavours is amazing on the nose and finish, but on the palate it’s the coastal and earthy notes that really drown everything out. Of all things, it’s not quite as rich or powerful as I was expecting. My point of comparison here is the 1985 Maritime Edition, one of my favourite whiskies ever. If I have to pick (and I do), think I prefer the juicier, brighter style of that bottling to the greener, peatier flavours here.
Final Score: 92.
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 