Single Malt
Scotland
Talisker
Diageo
1 Jan 1978
1 Jan 2025
Oak
Talisker 47 Year Old Magma is the oldest official release from the distillery on the Isle of Skye. Distilled in 1978 and matured for nearly five decades in refill American oak hogsheads, this rare single malt was then finished for four months in new American oak casks heated with basalt rocks sourced from Skye, a nod to the island’s volcanic origins and Talisker’s ongoing experimental streak.
Bottled at a natural cask strength of 48.8% ABV, with no chill filtration or added colour, just 622 bottles exist globally. Talisker 47 Year Old Magma comes presented in a striking recycled glass bottle that fades from clear to black, each topped with a unique obsidian-inspired stopper.
Tinned peaches, kiwi, rhubarb and custard kick off a very fruity, vibrant start, with caramel shortbread, burnt heather, and more classic Talisker smoke and sea notes: maritime air, oyster, incense, and bonfire embers. With water and time it gets sweeter, the fruit becomes more tropical and the aroma tips into buttercream.
Papaya, guava, apricot, lychee, flamed lemon peel… it’s another very fruity opening. The funk of old dunnage warehouse, wet hessian and coastal rock minerality arrive in support, with a tang of pink grapefruit tang and the telltale Talisker sea salt and pepperiness. The latter is more earthy and aromatic, rather than spicy.
The finish is juicy and lively, not drying as you might expect. Smoke then drifts across the moor of the tongue before everything settles.
