Talisker 25 on 25 December

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...

Raising two Diageos to Guinness - Clynelish 18 single cask for the Auld Alliance, and Talisker Distiller's Edition 2013

Under rather serendipitous circumstances, I bought Mansfield's The Search for God and Guinness on Kindle, and then, a couple of days later, got a ticket to attend a talk given by Os Guinness, the descendant of Arthur Guinness, creator of the Stout drank all around the world today.

Beyond learning more about the company, the Guinnesses, and how God was at work in the firm, I also found out, towards the end of the book, that Guinness would morph into Diageo, one of the biggest companies making and selling alcoholic beverages today.

Thus, to commemorate the finishing of this book, and to raise a glass to the vision that Arthur Guinness had for his beer and company, today's drinks will be from Diageo (which is, sadly, seen as a deviation from Guinness's initial vision).

Today's whisky comes from Clynelish, a distillery that was bought over by Diageo, and appears to be increasing its output ever since. It is one of the old classics of Scotch whiskies. Let's see how this newer expression is.

Clynelish 18 Year old, 1995 - 2013, bottled for The Auld Alliance single cask series 005 ( 51.2% abv, matured in refill hogshead)

Colour - white wine

Nose - Some maritime scents - sea salt and other minerals. Vanilla, some honey, and then, amazingly, green fruits. Feels like figs. This is quite nutty too. Almonds, I think. Then, there's some peat, pepper, and European oak (I think. Still learning to tell my wood apart). This is rather complex and well-balanced!

Palate - There's a peppery attack, and a little prickly due to the higher alcohol contnet. There's a bit of peat, vanilla, and oak. The peat is closer to an aromatic ash. Good quality tobacco, perhaps? More almonds here. They might have received a light roasting. There's some wine around the middle of the palate, as well as some leather. Apples and honey become more prominent after a few minutes of breathing, as does something citrusy. The combination of wine, apples and honey reminds me a little of canned pineapples. The texture of this dram is oily and viscous. Kinda like cream, or maybe good quality oil. The smooth texture clashed a little with the spiciness, or perhaps, it disoriented me a little, but not in a bad way, mind. More like a, I never expected this to work out.

Finish - Medium length, and goes down on peat. There's a touch of apple rind or grape seed, while the taste of ginger lingers around on the insides of the walls of the mouth.

Overall - I really like this. At $26 a glass, I think this is well-worth the money.

The second Diageo today is the Talisker Distiller's Edition, 2013 (45.8% abv, as is the Talisker custom nowadays). This is the standard Talisker 10, but given a little more time in Amoroso sherry casks.

Colour - gold, but close to amber. The sherry cask has left its mark on the visual presentation.

Nose - Fresh grapes giving way to salt and peat. Pepper comes out more slowly than the standard 18 or 10. After some time, orange peels become more prominent. It seems like there's something unpleasant right at the end, almost perfectly hidden behind the other scents...baby vomit? Some sulpher? Everything was good except that bit at the end.

Palate - Thinner than the Clynelish. The sherry is rich. Rich sherry overlays the powerful Talisker pepper without smothering it. The sherry actually helps to smoothen the pepper out, making it more muted than even the 18. Light peat, a bit of smoke. Oak, but the oak seems a bit bitter and drying. There isn't much bourbon influence detectable here, even though the Talisker 10 probably spent quality time with a bourbon cask. There's maybe a faint trace of coconut, but that's probably me imagining things. Placebo effect and things like that. This one is slightly rubbered. On the whole, it has a nice sherry attack that dries into the spice, peat and wood of a Talisker. The Amoroso complements the Talisker well

Finish - Less pepper than what I remember from the Talisker 10 and 18. Peat, smoke, rubber, pepper - all are present but less pronounced than in other Talisker expressions. The sulphur is popping up again, a blemish on an otherwise excellent whisky. Or maybe I'm just oversensitive, or under-appreciative.

Overall - This is priced between the Talisker 10 and the 18. The price is, I think, a good reflection of quality. Still, this would be higher in my reckoning if the sulphur notes were removed. Perhaps this batch wasn't as good as other batches.

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Guinness became Diageo, and Diageo continues to lead the world in alcoholic beverages. Here's hoping that the company recaptures its vision for social justice while bringing old distilleries like Clynelish back into business.

Talisker 10

I have a weakness for Talisker. It's one of those whiskies that just appeal to me due to the taste profile, and, I admit, the marketing. Only distillery on the Isle of Skye has an exclusive ring to it. The "king of drink" title bestowed by a literary giant helps too. I like to tell myself that it's primarily the taste and feel of the drink that I like, and the marketing is just a nice veneer. But these kinda things work subconsciously...

Talisker 10 (45.8% abv, which is the Talisker standard nowadays)

Colour - Gold. I suspect this one has been chill filtered, and colouring added. 

Nose - Rather inconsistent from sniff to sniff. On the whole, there are whiffs of pepper, a hefty dosage of salt, a bit of alcohol sting, and some faint hints of coconut, oak and even fainter suggestions of vanilla. Peat comes across as well, though it seems to come and go. Some smoke too, but, like the peat, it isn't an ever-present.

Palate - Peat, smoke, oak, some hints of coconut. There is some vanilla sweetness as well, but in the Talisker 10, it's a little hard to find. The 18 is a lot more forthcoming with its sweetness. But when it hits, it's like the peat and smoke suddenly clears, you've unexpectedly stepped out of the peat bog into an oasis of sweet vanilla, as if everything has been building up towards this moment of sudden sweet clarity...and then the pepper, smoke and peat engulfs you again. Sweet momentary respite, but not for long. 

Finish - Talisker's signature black pepper finish, and the pepper in this is quite hot. Smoke lingers, as does some peat. The oak is barely discernible, but I think there's some caramel colouring left right at the end, within bearable limits.

Overall - One of the first few whiskies that I really liked. As mentioned in my review of the Talisker 18, this one is not as accomplished as the Talisker 18, but I think it is more value-for-money.

A Talisker 18

Talisker 18

ABV: 45.8%

Picture taken from www.thewhiskyexchange.com

This is the new bottling, with a picture of the Isle of Skye on the box cover, rather than the older bottling from the early-mid 2000s which won the Whisky of the Year Award at the World Whisky Awards. I saw one of this older bottling at Vom Fass, at Ion, Orchard, selling at $210+. I chose not to buy it, as I'm not sure if I want another Talisker at this point in time, given my budget constraints...Maybe I'll get it after I finish my current bottle of the Talisker 18, and the older bottling is still on the shelf...

Colour: A pleasant gold colour. Forms many nice tear drops along the sides of a Glencairn glass.

Nose: Peat and oak drifts up first as the dominant note in the first nosing. A malty, cereal-y sweetness hides behind the initial notes, while a lingering pepperiness fills and tingles the nose. Giving it a little bit of a swirl brings up more pepper, but also a briny character, as a good "island" whisky should have. Suggestions of something citrus-y as well, but I can't quite pin down what it is. Oranges? Letting it sit for a while, and the whisky starts to smell a bit like a light Laphroaig, with medicinal peat becoming more prominent in the nose. The savoury-salty character becomes a bit stronger as well. Reminds me of a smoked ham almost.

Palate: First sip - citrusy notes comes to the fore first, to be quickly replaced by a bit of peat. A slight oak taste that then gives way to a malty sweetness that's almost like a bourbon casked whisky. Pepper. Second sip: Oooooh. The pepper first this time, followed by hints of the briny taste that a good sea breeze leaves on your tongue. Sweet. The sweetness in the Talisker 18 is more forthcoming than in the 10. A friend of mine did not like the Talisker because it was too unpredictable; different sips brought different tastes into focus, without the well-crafted, orderly layers of flavours in some other whiskies. The alcohol is surprisingly present in an 18 year old. Not a terrible burn, but you can feel the 45.8% ABV, and the kick of the Talisker spirit. Complements the pepper well, on the whole. Third sip: sweeeeet. Then pepper. Smoke rises up to the nose. Ahhh. I live in a country that's hot all year round, but this is what I imagine having a fireplace must feel like.

Finish: Smoke on the finish (and I think one can distinguish between peat and smoke. One's more vegetal, while the other is a bit more like...well, smoke.) This one's smoke feels a bit like tobacco, the drying type. And yes, a drying finish. A slight medicinal peat, which seems to go together with the drying finish. Peppery aftertaste lingers long in the mouth to balance out the smoke. A little bit of bitter oak, but that, in my opinion, adds a bit more character to the finish.

Overall: A bit unpredictable, a little wild, but that's what people have come to expect from the Talisker. The usual suspects are all in here, and the Talisker 18 is one of the show-pieces of the distillery to display what Talisker is all about. From reviews online, the present Talisker 18 is perhaps not quite the same as the older, WWA-winning elder sibling, but it is a very good drink in its own right.

Value for money?: In Singapore, the Talisker 18 can be bought at the 1855 Bottle Shop at $200. Not cheap, while the Talisker 10 is $106. The Talisker 18 is a more enjoyable dram, as it unleashes its sweetness more readily, but I'm not sure if the difference in quality is worth the difference in price.

First post!

This blog was started about a year after I first started drinking whisky. I don't remember the tastes of many of these whiskies enough to pen my own notes for them. Yet, there are some that stick in my mind, as if something about the whisky still lingers on long after the bottle is emptied.

There is always some difficulty in deciding how to inaugurate a blog. What shall we start with? A couple of popular, go-to whiskies? Start with a bang? Start with an award winner?

Maybe I'll start with a story about my first proper exposure to whisky...

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A year ago, I was privileged to be invited to a good friend's house for the Lunar New Year. His father had purchased several bottles of whisky to entertain the guests who'll be coming around. Among the bottles that were on the table, I remember a Glenrothes 30, 25, 20. There was a Ballantine's 30 year, as well as a Hakushu 18. There were probably one or two more, but my memory is hazy. I remember clearly that I loved the Hakushu 18, for how refreshing and mellow it was, with slight grassy, warming peatiness, and the gentle citrus notes...beautiful, balanced flavours. The Ballantine's was smooth, as one would expect from a 30 year old blend. Floral, nutty, but I thought that it wasn't that special, nor quite worth the price, if I were just talking about how it tasted and smelt. 

As I was happily sipping a dram of the Hakushu 18, one of the other guests poured herself a glass of the Glenrothes 30 (this one: https://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/820/glenrothes-30-year-old). And by a glass, I mean about 100 ml or slightly more. Of a 30 year old whisky. She took a sip, and declared that it was too strong. 

So, she split that glass of whisky into two glasses. She then took up a pack of Pokka's Jasmine Green Tea, less sugar, opened the pack of Green Tea, and poured the whole packet of green tea into the two half-glasses of 30 year-old Glenrothes. Mixing the drinks, she took another sip, and with great satisfaction, said that the drink was now "much better". After all, we have to mix whisky so that we can drink more, she sagely proclaimed.

And thus, a tragedy. 

There are many ways to drink whisky, and some of us do like to mix our whiskies into highballs and cocktails. No problem. I'm just not sure if a $1000 bottle was supposed to be drunk in this way...

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Is there a moral to this story? Perhaps not. But this story is firmly part of my initiation to whisky drinking. The heartache I felt for the Glenrothes, and the joy I got from the Hakushu, became the starting point of my whisky journey. Pain and joy are part of life's journey - they nudge us on, step by step, out of the Garden of Eden (or is it the forests on the Japanese Southern Alps??) and into the scary and beautiful world out there...

The next post will have some notes about two whiskies that I like enough to drink them as daily (ok, not quite daily) sips: the Oban 14, and the Talisker 10.