This week Adam’s tasting Talisker 18 Year Old, because you voted for it! What a treat this whisky is.
We’re back with another Whisky of the Week, the series where we taste what you vote for. Take a look at our Instagram Stories this week so you can decide which whisky we enjoy next. It’s between Jura 21 Year Old Tide, Redbreast 21 Year Old, and Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Reserva Rum Cask Finish, so you can’t really go wrong.
You certainly did me a favour this week voting for Talisker 18 Year Old. It’s a distillery I have a lot of love for and this is one of the finest whiskies the Isle of Skye producer makes.
Talking Talisker
If there’s one thing Talisker Distillery gets right, it’s making bold whiskies full of smoke and spice and sea. The rugged maritime setting of coastal Skye is echoed in the taste of every dram. I’m lucky enough to have visited the distillery before and can tell you first hand it’s one of the best destinations in Scotch whisky and a dram of Talisker sipped from the shell of a Scottish oyster is an experience you won’t forget.
Talisker whisky is fantastic at a younger age. If you get a chance to sample something between five and eight years old, I highly recommend it. But the distillery also knows how to calm that raging storm in its spirit, which is what happened to our Whisky of the Week. Talisker 18 Year Old is aged in barrels that previously held bourbon and sherry but manages to strike that fine balance between keeping what’s great about the distillate while adding some delicious cask influence.
It’s still got all that classic Talisker sweet, smoky, and peppery elements as well as heaps of coastal charm. One to share, if you can bear giving up a dram!
Talisker 18 Year Old Tasting Note:
Nose: Peat smoke and seaside aromas lead with peppery oak, coffee, rich toffee, melon, and ground ginger.
Palate: More maritime malt goodness with pineapple, honey, butterscotch, peach, and a little smoky bacon.
Finish: Pepper and peat with a hint of citrusy sweetness.
Talisker 18 Year Old is available from Master of Malt.