Talisker Skye was introduced in early 2015, named after the beautiful island on which the distillery resides. This expression brings with it a more well-rounded and sweet flavour profile packed with fresh citrus, sweet smoke, peppery spice and traditional Talisker maritime notes.
Talisker Skye is matured in a combination of refill and toasted American oak casks, with a slightly higher proportion of toasted casks. Talisker Skye whisky is perfect for those who perhaps find the classic Talisker flavour profile a bit too much, not to say that Talisker fans won't enjoy it too.
Sweet stuff, toffees and vanilla ice cream up front, almost grain-like. Becomes increasingly honeyed. There's a little coastal influence here too, just hints of a sweet Caol Ila perhaps, with very restrained smoke.
Honeyed toasted oak, sappy wood, only a little pepper and smoke, apple turnovers and hints of lemon and lime Opal Fruits. Fennel seeds.
Drying and slightly less sweet, hints of spice and smoke.
A more approachable, sweet Talisker. 'The Isle of Skye in June'.
Very disappointed in the Skye bottling was hoping for something half decent but it was sadly lacking. I don't care for peaty ones and find the 10 year a bit too peaty for me but the 18!infind excellant. Had to look up NAS and at least understand roughly what the argument is about. Nick listens according to a blog I read and for me it's the taste NAS does not mean nothing if I don't like it. Skye I won't be buying again. 12 yo Glenlivet, Highland Park 18 Talisker and Auchentoshan are ones I will always buy and there are loads of others that I have tried but price dictates what I will buy in the end Nick so please don't forget that point. If struggling I will still drink a Bells if I have to but much prefer those above not them sweetie excuses.
Wish I had found this at £26 as I would be way too busy to be writing this and out buying more, just accept that it is not the 10 year old and that NAS single malt is here to stay. Why bother? Because I don't care about age, colour, packaging, reputation of a distillery, just good whisky and while there are some overpriced and poor whisky in the NAS range this is not one of them & nobody is making you buy it! Retains the classic Talisker salt, pepper & spicy peat for me and a well priced intro to the distillery. Young does not mean it's not good & light does not mean lightweight, try a whisky on its individual merits and stop getting your malty knickers in a twist! The Whisky Flaneur
OK, I admit that I bought this to try it - paying £26 locally, so I'm not that crazy. However, my overriding feeling is why bother with this .... and why produce it in the first place. In my opinion, we're seeing far too many NAS whiskies coming out with names like Storm, Skye, Legacy, Legend, Founders Reserve, Ceobanach etc, full of evocative descriptions and asking us to pay more (usually) that the definitive 10 or 12yo. Some, like OP Navigator, are pretty fine drams admittedly, but others, like this Talisker Skye aren't really worth buying. Even the wording on the box/bottle is as vague as the outline of the Cuillin in mist. What are the producers trying to achieve? What will next versions be called? Talisker Cuillin? Talisker Bla Bheinn? Or Talisker Mealladh (Gaelic for deception!)So, I've bought this bottle and I'll drink it and enjoy it well enough but it will always leave a slightly bitter taste, metaphorically speaking, and I'll not buy another. Maybe we should all blame Macallan for all this nonsense: first it was Fine Oak (because good sherry casks were so expensive although they were making out otherwise) and then it was getting rid of age statement altogether and asking us to pay more depending upon the depth of the colour. By that thinking, Glendronach 12yo would be £100 and the excellent Glencadam 10yo would be £10. I suppose the producers are only getting away with it because the punters are buying .... the hype.
Mellow as far as Talisker goes but still a great dram for the price. I'll be buying another bottle very soon.
There are enough brilliant NAS whiskies out there (as well as some distinctly average ones with an age statement) to prove the naysayers wrong. As a talisker fan (10, 18, 57 degrees north and distillers edition are all currently in the cupboard) I think it fits in the range well. The reduction in peat highlights the other talisker characteristics (pepper, sea salt) where as the increased sweetness serves to further differentiate it from the 10. It definitely warrants a taste before deciding that it isn't any good because it doesn't fit with the concept of what you think good whisky is.
