Talisker 10 year old single malt is a classic Island whisky from the Isle of Skye. Aged for a minimum of 10 years in American oak casks, this welcome member of Diageo's Classic Malts series has been recognised numerous times for its excellence. Immensely satisfying stuff, with whiffs of warm peat blending with coastal air, balanced by orchard fruit and juicy barley. A spectacular after dinner dram.
It was an Editor's Choice at Whisky Magazine, a gold medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 and was awarded 'Best Islands Single Malt' at the 2017 World Whiskies Awards.
A fresh and fragrant nose. Through thick, pungent smoke comes sweet pear and apple peels, with pinches of maritime salt from kippers, seaweed.
It's a bonfire of peat crackling with black pepper, with a touch of brine and dry barley. A welcome delivery of orchard fruit provides a delicate and beautiful balance.
In a long finish, bonfire embers toast malt and crystallise a sugary underlay.
I’m not going to say I don’t enjoy this and I’m not going to rate. Instead I’m going to ask a question. Has this whisky changed or have we? So much of what I drink no is unchilfiltered and uncolored. Hell even Macallan doesn’t use coloring. Can it be that we’ve just all gotten used to better stuff?
Talisker was my first love, my introduction to single malts. For years I swore by. I took a break from it for a few years, wow - heart broken, what has changed? Me or it? It didn't display any characteristics of a quality single malt, had I received it at a blind tasting I'd have guessed 'Islay Mist' I miss my old friend. Talisker, if you've made changes plz change back - way 2 much e150
I feel I must agree with the review below. Talisker is for me, and will most likely continue to be, my dram of choice for big meaty meals, especially game, but I do not drink this on its own any more. It's just been too softened up and has been diminished too much for that. I will also say that I personally am beginning to find it very hard to take these over-produced, artificially filtered, coloured mega-corpo malts seriously any more. Would love to know how the production of this has changed throughout the last ten-fifteen years. Not for connoisseurs! Excellent, dare I say, cooking whisky.
Not too bad whisky unless you were lucky to know the older style bottling. It used to be my no. 1 dram, complex and a smoky punch in the teeth. But in current product I would not even recognize it is a Talisker, very sweet and tamed on palate with somehow artificial aftertaste. I am so sad to say goodbye to this distillery after so long-term relationship. Not to forget, I started chasing the 2000 - 2010 bottles in auctions which is the only way to taste the real Talisker as I know and love it.
Back on 17th March, I tried Talisker 10 for the first time, and accused it of not offering even a hint of smoke, peat or brine. Well – I was wrong. As a fan and regular drinker of Lagavulin 16, Machir Bay, Uigeadail and Tastival, I’m afraid the softer, milder notes of Talisker 10 just plain failed to register on my palate. Now, with the arrival of Spring and early summer, my beloved winter heavyweights have been moved to the back of the fridge, and their places taken by lighter malts – including Talisker 10. And what a lovely dram it has proven to be! Smoke and peat are there, with maybe a late hint of wood ash, but their presence is a quiet and gentle one, and free from the medicinal notes of Islay. The soft smoke flavours are nicely balanced by sweet fruits – principally pear – with a hint of barley and a dusting of pepper. For anyone who has yet to try peated malts, this seems to me a cracking way to dip a toe in the vat. And, at the price being offered by MoM, this Talisker 10 is an absolute steal.
