59,7°
Distillery : Talisker - Islands
Heavily Peated Ex-Bourbon Refill Casks
Original Bottling
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2021
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 22 ppm
From 2001 to 2014, Talisker offered specific bottlings for Diageo Special Releases every year (except 2011), but they were very old, from 20 to 35 years old, and especially 25 years old. This annual delivery resumed in 2018, but for much younger editions, 8 years old, except in 2019 when we were rewarded with a magnificent 15 years old. This year we have a juice distilled in 2012, having matured in second-fill Bourbon casks, which received a heavily peated Whisky for their previous fill. This beautiful baby, which promises to have character, has been dubbed The Rogue Seafury, but I haven't put that in the title, as it's written on the back of the box.
Let's Taste It :
Salty breeze. Sea spray lashes the face, foam licks the boots. Tons of iodine. A hint of lemon vanilla. Beautiful smoky peat, but also very maritime. Heather, lichen, mossy grass. Sea water. Kelp, seaweed. Oysters, bottarga, whelks. Crab meat. With the addition of water, it's even more costal, very intense. On the palate, the same profile, barrels of kelp, foam, seaweed, seawater. Then come the spices. Lump roe, sea urchins, brine. The finish crushes everything in its path, very long, still very marinated and briny. A strong wave crashes against the coast, wiping the beach. A pinch of sand. Coal. Oak leaves, wood.
In Short,
It's exactly the sort of thing I love. Certainly well peated, but above all very costal, which enhances the distillate without abusing the influence of the casks. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd have recognised a Talisker if I'd tasted it blind, it's much more iodised than usual. In any case, I like it a lot, and the price is decent. If you're an enthusiast, you should snap it up without further ado.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Television - Marquee Moon
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