You can spend years waiting for a new release in Talisker's core range then two come along at once! Hot on the heels of Talisker Storm in early 2013 comes Talisker's Port Ruighe, pronounced 'Port Ree'.
This no age statement release is finished in Port wine casks, imparting a new dimension to this Isle of Skye single malt.
After a wave of initial sea spray, the nose becomes more complex with Crayola crayons, orange pith and a touch of white chocolate. Demerara and even sticking plaster emerge briefly along with plummy, umeshu notes.
Initial characteristic Talisker brine once again but much sweeter than usual. Thick and mouth coating like the Storm with chilli and a little chocolate orange. Increasingly smoky - much smokier than the nose suggests.
Milk chocolate becomes cocoa and oak with mocha notes and the faintest hint of that orange pith once again.
Alongside the distillery style there are similarities with Talisker Storm with the thicker, oilier mouthfeel and wood smoke. Port Ruighe has taken on additional characteristics from the Port casks however, adding sweetness and different notes such as plum and chocolate.
A new cheaper sort of Talisker, as it is a no age statement whisky (nas) it is the alternative for one of the standard bottlings. I love Talisker,s the 25y and the 18* plus the standard 10 all super whisky. But this is far worse quality than anything from them I have ever tasted.
I bought a bottle of this whilst in the Talisker distillery last week. Very smooth, smokey, and very surprised. Nice whisky........
It's more complex and sweeter version of Talisker 10yo. I think this is very succsessful edition.
Talisker 10 yo is a famous and well known whisky that lots of people widely appreciate. The rough and tough character of it is much loved and enjoyed. The Storm expression was great as well, but at a much higher price, it's not much different from the 10 yo benchmark dram. Here is the Port Ruighe version. It reliefs me to say that this presentation is actually quite different. The earlier mentioned rough and tough have been toned down a bit. This is a smarter animal. Much more refined, with coastal scents and seaweed and alge to start with. Moving on to the palete, there's the typical Talisker hotness, but much more polished. Small traces of smoke and salt can be found, but they're rather faint, like the port influences from it's casks. The finish is, also very Talisker-like, long lasting with some added woody impressions along the way. All in all, this Talisker through amd through, but refreshingly different which will make the fans happy.
Aye, sweeter and not as peaty as "normal" Talisker, have to admit that the Distillers Edition is still my favourite expression of Talisker so far
