Tastes

American whiskey tasting evening, Sydney, 21 September 18. Whiskey #2 Nose: Bright gingery spices and a musky syrup note. A hint of leather and pepper. Palate: Dry molasses and spices – powdered ginger, nutmeg, paprika and clove. Quite a forceful arrival, a little thin but not particularly hot. In the background, when tasted neat, there was a combination of herbs, brine, pickles and cheese – a bit like spiced feta. Not disagreeable, but a bit weird. The addition of a little water smoothed and developed the palate remarkably by developing some sweetness to balance the pickles. Finish: Medium. Dusty and woody spices. Overall this whiskey had a warming character rather than a hot one. The texture, although a little thin, was chewy and satisfying. The main problem I had with it was how it collapsed quickly in the glass. You encounter this sometimes – a whisky will be OK on first nosing but when you leave it to develop in the glass instead of improving it goes downhill. In this case when neat the nose seemed to close down and lose impact over time, while the palate became more obviously briny. Adding water made this even worse. Initially water killed the nose but greatly improved the palate by bringing out sweet notes, but over the next 30 minutes the whole profile fell apart with both the nose and taste eventually seeming stale and a bit like wet cardboard. It’s drinkable and quirky, but I wouldn’t call it “good” - it’s average at best and I’d recommend using it as a mixer. However at the excessively high asking price there is really no way I'd recommend this whiskey at all. “Average” : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

American whiskey tasting evening, Sydney, 21 September 18. Whiskey #1 Nose: Fragrantly floral, vanilla essence, pine resin, honey and buttery notes, cereal grains and some oaky toffee. Adding water brings out some rather leaden brown sugar and tends to collapse the nose. Palate: A full spicy arrival with some mild sweet ginger and bitter orange marmalade. A fruity note, a little nuttiness and some grassy, minty flavours. Water makes the palate harder rather than softer, amplifying the spicy notes too far and unbalancing the whiskey. Finish: Medium/long. Toasted cereal, bread and some woody notes. Generally speaking it has a soft and approachable character, but it's not as sweet as some comparably priced bourbons can be. The character is dry and it's softer on the nose than the palate, which turns woody as it develops. There's a cantankerous spicy note running through it that is both an asset and a fault. It lends complexity and interest, but it's a simple aroma/flavour that becomes too dominant if water is added. I'd recommend taking this whisky neat. I tasted this as the first whiskey in a flight of six at a liquor store tasting evening, and it was a great starter. I came back to the glass throughout the tasting and it held up pretty well against the following (much better) drams, although by the end of the evening its simplicity was obvious. At the price in Australia this is just barely value for money, but it's definitely worth a try at least once. It rates a solid 3 stars and I might even buy a bottle some day if I find it on special ... but not today. "Good" : 81/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Gristy, grassy and fresh with citrus overtones. A very cereal-driven nose with a bracing medicinal herbal touch. There's also an oily maritime quality to it that I find very attractive and a hint of smoke, but so fleeting as to be just a flight of fancy. Palate: A sweet and tingly spice arrival. It's lightly creamy in character but also crisp and clean. The development is slow and measured, gradually building up flavours of sweet-and-sour citrus, brine, licorice, barley sugar, ginger and peat (not smoke, peat). It has a pleasant texture that is slightly oily but dry. As it rests in the glass it becomes more and more salty. Finish: Medium/long with minty, maritime cereal flavours that have an almost anaesthetic quality that must come from an interaction with wood tannin. This fades to a refined sweetness that lasts and lasts. This is a most interesting and elegant malt with great finesse. I've been meaning to get around to tasting it for some time and I'm not disappointed. It's a subtle one that conveys many impressions. It's maritime, but not the sledgehammer bonfire on the beach sort, nor the blanketing sooty fog rolling in from the Atlantic. It's much more a quiet stroll by yourself on a deserted shingle beach on a cold, cloudy day - oyster shells crunching underfoot, chill surf hissing on the stones and curlews crying in the distance. A most evocative frisson of a whisky - lovely, austere, complex and gentle, like a Hitchcock blonde. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

This is a re-taste of the same bottle that I reviewed about a year ago when it was freshly opened. It was finally nearing the end, so the time came to put it out of its misery. Nose: Aromatic smoke that is not as oily/bracken-scented as an Islay, nor soft and heathery like an Orkney. It is uniquely maritime and briny, being reminiscent of the smell of a steamship. There are also warm baking spices and nutty fragrances of fresh-baked ginger snaps and an underpinning meaty heft. A faint menthol/camphor note cements everything else together. Palate: An arrival of exquisite, complex smoke wafting over hard salt toffee. Faintly anise rather than caramel heavy but softened with a touch of honey-water, dusky orange and milk chocolate. The trademark Talisker kick of hot ginger and chili powder appears in the mid development but it’s mellow and refined here in comparison to the powerhouse that is the 10 year old. Finish: Medium/long, the salty/sweet/spicy smoke echoes away into the distance. This whisky remained stable throughout its life in the bottle, the final dram being very like the first. I did generously flood the bottle with argon gas after each opening, which most likely helped to reduce oxidization, but even so it was extremely consistent. It’s an amazingly well balanced and assured whisky with great depth. The nose is both assertive and gently finessed - a steel fist in a velvet glove – and the palate is a joy. Talisker’s distillery character is midway between the earthy strength of Campbeltown, the robust smoke of Islay and the hefty, waxy meatiness of the upper-east coastal highlands. This is one of those whiskies that can only be tasted at the end of a flyte or followed by something even more magnificent, as it will eclipse any lesser dram. It swims well and is delicious either neat or with a dash of water, as you prefer. This is an easily obtainable and relatively affordable desert island dram. "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars) ------------------------------------------------------- [Originally reviewed on Distiller April 30, 2017] Nose: Light aromatic smoke, spices, salty maritime aromas and an underpinning meaty heft. Just wonderful. Palate: Exquisite smoke wafting over sweet salt toffee, but not burdened by caramel heaviness. Sweet, but not heavy honey - more like malty milk chocolate and light syrup. Suddenly, the trademark Talisker kick of chili or ground dry red pepper appears. Finish: Medium. The salty/sweet/spicy smoke fades away gracefully leaving a subtle fruity-smoke and brine aftertaste. This is whiskymaking of the highest quality, and one of my top shelf malts. So amazingly well balanced and assured with great depth and poise. Power, but with finesse of expression. Adding a dash of water makes this so enticingly drinkable it is almost dangerous. Marvellous stuff. “Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars) [AUD$155.0 per Bottle in 2017] -------------------------------------------------------

Nose: The nose is fresh and grassy with notes of lemon citrus, vanilla, freshly-mown hay, brown sugar, and a little oak. There's the faintest maritime touch, and interestingly the dry-glass aroma is of distant fragrant smoke. Palate: A sweet and light arrival featuring apple and citrus. As it develops, a tannic note appears along with some spicy heat. There's a little licorice, barley sugar and some oak. The tannin builds and has a dryness like a dry sherry. Finish: Medium/Short, peppery spice turning slightly sweet at the end. In summary I'd call this a young and firm malt. It has a certain dry grip to the nose and palate that is almost bracing. It benefits greatly from the addition of just a little water, which tames the brightness of the nose and allows the more subtle notes to emerge. On the palate the addition of water creates a much more creamy mouthfeel, which is very agreeable. Like all Teaninich it brings to mind Johnnie Walker blends, particularly Red Label, this being one of their core malts. I tasted this recently in a flight with Compass Box Asyla, and it's interesting to compare the two. Asyla is a light and subtle whisky that uses Teaninich as a core component to add the particular aromas and flavours that I've described above. When tasted in comparison, this malt seems both brighter and more direct but lacks complexity. Not long ago I rated Teaninich 10 year Flora & Fauna - this is a slightly more intense and interesting version of the same distillate, but I wouldn't recommend it and it's not particularly good value. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Cereal forward and fresh, with barley malt supported by lemon and apricot. There's a pleasant fat oiliness to the aroma, and as it rests and unfolds the fragrance of cinnamon and ginger boiled sweets arises. There's also a prominent sweet musky note. Palate: Oily and creamy, very full and sweet (but not cloying at all) but somewhat unfocused. As it develops there are sweet nutty flavours (hazelnut? almond?), some citrus zest and a dominant honey-malt character. Some mild sweet/spicy cereal notes like seed cake supporting it all. Finish: Short. Slightly spicy and malty with a touch of white pepper in the finale. I liked the nose on this a lot. It's both approachable but also complex and it has an elusive floral character (but it's not what I'd call a "floral whisky"). However with a dash of water the sweet musky character disappears and the nose becomes weak cereal/citrus in nature. The palate is good, but not as notable as the nose, and it lacks a solid foundation. There is a melange of sweet, oily and slightly spicy flavours but it's rather mild and a bit generic. It gave me the impression that it did not know what sort of whisky it was supposed to be. Imagine a mixture of Aberlour A'bunadh and Springbank 10 that was then mixed 50/50 with neutral grain spirit. Any amount of dilution kills the palate stone dead - this is a gentle, delicate whisky - almost fragile - and it drowns at the mere sight of water. I strongly recommend taking it neat. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)