After some delay, I'm finally getting down to write about this. This is, to date, the most expensive bottle I've paid for with my own money. Talisker is among my top 3 favourite distilleries, though its NAS bottlings don't quite live up to the legacy of the name. The Port Ruighe was nice enough, as was Dark Storm, but nothing that screams Talisker, like the 10 or 18. And now, this - the Talisker 25 from a bygone era.
Nothing screams Christmas like a peaty, smoky, peppery, spicy dram of whisky, even if you are living in sunny Singapore, right?
Image from the Whisky Exchange
Talisker used to bottle the 25 year old and the 30 year old at cask strength. Not single cask, just cask strength. This one's bottled at 58.1% abv. That's several notches above the standard 45.8% that Talisker bottles things at nowadays. The upside is that you can now get the Talisker 25 as a regular bottling. The downside is that you'll probably not hit the same highs that the older bottlings were able to achieve.
This bottle is a mix of various cask types, with some sherry influence on top of the usual refill and bourbon casks. At 58.1%, I'm guessing that this will need some water, but let's do it neat first.
Talisker 25, bottled 2007 (58.1%)
Colour - Well, the bottle is slightly tinted, so the liquid isn't as dark as it might appear to be. Gold, instead of something approaching amber.
Nose - This is intense. Big pepper, sea spray. Let my nose get used to it a little, and more subtle notes appear - honey, really. Light peat and smoke, with suggestions of red fruit. There seems to be a bit of vanilla, and toffee too. Sea salt taffy, perhaps. Fairly oaky undertones, that help to hold the rest of the nose together. What I enjoyed most about this nose is its intensity - the big pepper and sea salt don't go away. It stays and powers through the nose. The other scents come out subtly against the pepper and sea, but the intensity of the usual Talisker profile doesn't become more muted - your nose just gets used to it. The gripping pepper and salt are on one pole, and the gentle oak on the other, gives this Talisker 25 a nose that develops in depth, with different tones appearing the more you nose it, yet staying within the boundaries created by the space between Talisker's wild side and the calming influence of the wood.
Palate - It's like you chewed some black peppercorns, with some red peppers thrown in. It's unmistakably Talisker. The intensity of the pepper really strikes you, just like on the nose. With some time on the tongue, you get...honey, some vanilla, almost bourbon-y sweetness, which adds to the smoothness of this dram, despite the high strength. There's cloves and maybe a touch of something bitter and citrusy, like parsley or coriander. Maybe lemon zest. Butterscotch, or maybe that's just the salt, vanilla and honey coming together. What I probably mean is that this is sweet, savoury and smooth, at the same time. There's smoke and light peat - the smoke is fairly clean, like an unsooty charcoal flame, and the peat is light. Not sure what they burn there on Talisker. I really should visit someday.
Finish - Mmm. The pepper lasts the longest. Cloves and nutmeg spiced finish, which is probably the influence of the sherry cask. Slightly peaty, a little bitter, and a fair whack of oak and wood tannins. Then there's pepper again. A hint of sweetness to round off.
Ok, that was great, but maybe a little too intense. Let's see what water does to it.
With water - about 5 drops to the dram
Nose - this is immediately more gentle, more open, but still distinctly Talisker. The pepper takes a bit more of a backseat, allowing the oak and honey sweetness to come to the front. There's more fruit too - I'm getting some figs and dried cherries. So...sweet, red, and slightly sour at the same time. Unless the dried cherries I've had are spoilt. Hope not. A little hint of nuttiness - or was that just a different tone to the wood? Same ballpark as having it neat, but slightly more nuanced and round, less brutal on the pepper spray
Palate - Butterscotch, definitely butterscotch. Butterscotch, honey, vanilla, and ripe fruits - I'm thinking of something yellow, like syrup soaked pineapple, or nearly overripe mangoes. Maybe rock melon. But water doesn't water down the intensity, simply drags out other flavours into prominence, without really drowning the kick that the pepper gives. In this case, the pepper has its say later. This is richer than the Talisker 18, definitely.
Finish - shorter, but same profile. Though I think the pepper feels more heaty here.
Overall - I'm impressed and very satisfied. DW says this is not as good as the Kilchoman 2008 vintage - I obviously disagree. I don't think the Kilchoman hits this level of intensity on the pepper, nor the richness of the liquid. But then, the Kilchoman is a about 1/3 the age. And 1/4 the price. Maybe Kilchoman is more value for money, and maybe it'll age better. Who knows? In any case, the Talisker 25 is great stuff, and a style of whisky that made many whisky fans fall in love with the spirit in the first place - intense and rich, smooth and fiery, peppery and sweet. The power of the spirit really stands out here, despite the 25 years in wood.
And with that, merry Christmas! God is with us! And if you need an artificial fire to add to the mood...
No comments:
Post a Comment