Talisker is the oldest working distillery on the Isle of Skye, enjoying a long and very successful history. Talisker has been the recipient of numerous accolades and medals from prestigious national and international competitions and boasts an incredible core range that includes Talisker 10 Year Old, a gold medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 and 'Best Islands Single Malt' at the 2017 World Whiskies Awards, as well as Talisker 18 Year Old, which won ‘Best Single Malt In The World' at the World Whiskies Awards 2007.
To celebrate the Talisker distillery’s 175th anniversary in 2005, a no age statement commemorative single malt bottling was released. Two years later in 2007, Talisker 18 year old won ‘Best Single Malt In The World 2007’ at the World Whiskies Awards. Since 2008, the Talisker range has vastly expanded with a no age statement quartet and even a 40 year old expression. Talisker is now one of Diageo’s most distinguished single malt brands.
The Talisker distillery was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, on the shores of Loch Harport, an area steeped in tradition and local custom, where Scotch Gaelic is still spoken. Talisker remained under the MacAskill's stewardship until 1898, when the Dailuaine-Talisker Distillers Company acquired it under the charge of Thomas Mackenzie. They extended the distillery in 1900, before selling the company in 1916 to a consortium including Distillers Company Limited. Following a relatively stable and calm period for Talisker, a still-house fire tragically destroyed the distillery in 1960. Thankfully, the Talisker distillery was completely rebuilt meticulously according to exact copies of the old stills, and five replicas of the original stills were constructed to maintain the preservation of the original Talisker flavour.
The Talisker distillery has changed hands only once since this period, after Diageo added Talisker to its considerable portfolio. It has marketed the brand as part of its Classic Malts range in 1988. Talisker has been a welcome addition to this established series ever since, despite the fact that the distillery itself is pretty unusual. Talisker Distillery has the strange distinction of housing an odd number of wash stills to spirit stills, counting two wash stills and three spirit stills in total. The third spirit still is a remnant from an era in which Talisker used to produce triple distilled malt whisky, which was stopped in 1928, and the extra spirit still was simply never removed or decommissioned.
Talisker Distillery also possesses another striking feature - swan neck lye pipes. The shape of these pipes means that vapour from the stills loops on its way to the worm tubs, so some of the alcohol is already condensed before it has reached the cooler. The alcohol then runs back into the stills and is distilled again. While these features may seem pretty bizarre, some would say that it is these intricacies that help create the distinctive Talisker character, and it's all the better for it (what's so normal about being normal, anyway?).
Anyone who knows the process of making whisky knows that this character isn't just affected by the methods and equipment used, however, but by the base ingredients as well. Talisker has used the same malted barley since 1972, a supply bought in from Glen Ord after it abandoned it's own onsite maltings. This malt is typically peated to a phenol level of approximately 18–22 parts per million (ppm) which, combined with a decidedly brazen terroir and mineral-rich water from Cnoc nan Speireag (Hawk Hill), helps to form a singular profile of new-make spirit, which tends to be aged in American oak casks.
Talisker's annual output ranks at almost three and half million litres of unmistakable Scotch whisky. That's plenty enough to go around, so why not see what takes your fancy below?