Tastes

This is the second time I got a sample of the Talisker distillers edition. This one here is the 2006/2016 Amorosso sherry finish. Nose: cotton candy that was put over a freshly lid camp fire and dipped in cherry marmalade after. After that first impression you get sweet sherry aromas but not very defined - just nice and rich. Then there is a nice savory organic (wood, sand, leather, wet straw and salty sea air) part to it which doesn’t only fit perfectly in there but that feels as if it holds the whole nose together. Very well done. The longer you nose it the smoother (now caramel) and more enjoyable it gets. Palate: much smoother than the other sherry / port finished Taliskers. Also a really nice sweetness embedded in sherry flavors and milky chocolate and fudge. The peat is very nicely integrated. The finish is a great summary of everything that was going on on the nose and palate. After the first sip the nose gets much sweeter and also quite nutty. Then there are some citrus fruits appearing while also getting smoother almost buttery on the nose. The palate also feels sweeter and silky now. The peat is still very defining yet respectful of the other flavors. With three drops of water it feels less intense and less smooth on the nose. The palate remains the same as before but the finish get rougher with an increased peat level.

This is the 2nd time I give this Talisker expression another go on the search for a Talisker bottle to add to my collection. The first aroma on the nose is sweet syrup in a old rough dark wooden bowl. It doesn’t feel fruity or sherry influenced at all but that is a good thing. Then slowly there is some appearing florals and then in the back some cooked fruits but not overly sweet. The backbone is a nice fresh peat. The palate arrives with a wild peat - not smokey but somehow spiced up - like when you burn spices in a pan. Then the palate gets increasingly sweet bid by bid until you finally taste a nice melange of peated wood, bitter oranges and sweet wine gummies. The finish has a very unique and interesting peat and a taste of dark bread and dried sour orchard fruits. After that the nose gets brighter, has some qualities of white wine and fresh banana. And then it become nicely briny. The palate now feels more acidic along the nice sweetness. The peat becomes a little more chemical but definitely not in a bad way. Some added water drops don’t really change much on the nose except maybe some grains. The palate also doesn’t really gain anything here as does the finish. All in all a interesting, intense and rough whisky that will spark interest when enjoyed over a few drams for sure. It is very unique.

2nd time tasting this Talisker expression. The nose has dark ripe blueberries, interesting depth on the sweet fruit side, accompanied by a quite spirity alcohol nose but with a great subtle smooth peat. The fruitiness decreases the longer you nose it - that’s weird. But it gives way to some more organic but subtle aromas like earth and wet old wood. Basically the nose is smooth and soft but has a nice depth. The palate is not very defined. Not much of the fruits left. It is peppery hot and tanninic bitter like ground nut shells or even like the bitterness from Tonic. The peat is rough and nice but not very intense. The finish remains quite bitter again. After that the peat intensifies on the nose slightly. A few drops of water brings out a lot more sweetness on the nose, blackberries, leather. The palate becomes noticeably less intense though. While the nose is really quite nice and gets better further into the dram and further improves with added water, the taste isn’t really pleasant. I don’t understand the bitterness on the palate and the sharp alcoholic burn also is quite off putting. The peat is nice but doesn’t save it. Over all an ok whiskey but It doesn’t hit the Talisker standard quality in my opinion.

What a nice surprise. Very interesting and with an intense nose and flavor profile. Reminded me a lot of Campletown whisky but with a certain something to set it nicely apart. Bright hard orchard fruits and grains / flour nicely balanced in the middle between sweet and dry. With it it’s 46% ABV very rich. Made me interested in other expressions and also in another go with it peated variant Ledaig.

Wolfburn is one of the more interesting Distilleries out there for me at the moment. The whole package is intriguing to me with their idea, philosophy, standards and design. I started with sample bottles of their core range which left me uninspired and actually a bid disappointed. But then I gave it another go with their special releases which they do regularly and one of those really surprised and convinced me. This one here is a single release of a special bottling as well. It is their first real peated bottling. They have a peated whisky in their core range with the “Morven” but that one is only peated because it is aged in reused Lagavulin casks. I bought this bottle while not knowing about its actual taste and also without a lot of expectations. It was mostly because of supporting Wolfburn during the pandemic. Nose: very mild but juicy both with the bright fruitiness and the peat. The peat is present but not overwhelming at all. It is nice. Feels cool and dry - like a burned down fire the next morning. Equally present is the slightly vibrant orchard fruits, some fresh mango and some mild honey notes as well. But I also get a aroma spectrum that I know from another Wolfburn bottle that I have (“No 375”) which I assume could be considered their apparent signature aromas. A bid of malty grain and also a little exotic spices (Curcuma / sweet Indian curry). A couple of more years - because it feels as young as it is (around 5 years) - but with more time this has potential to become something really nice. That is what I am hoping for. Palate: first a cold ash smokiness, not sweet, very mild, feels a bid diluted. Then it slowly gets a bid more subtle sweet. There is unsweetened granola, and an interesting hop-bitterness. Finish: medium short, the peat is there but sadly not very pleasant, it leaves a slightly disturbing bitterness in your mouth. Not sure what to make of that. It isn’t bad for sure but it really feels unfinished and not very round. Very light, simple and uninteresting really. The nose is simple, straight forward but nice, the palate interesting but feels diluted, the finish is just okay but gets a little better after some sips. But all in all it isn’t a good whiskey. I will for sure keep an eye on Wolfburn but will stay off their peated bottlings with no other cask finishes until they release their first age statements. I have high hopes but can’t really tell what their real final products will be like.

We did a blind tasting and this was a big surprise for me. I have always avoided German whisky because I’ve just started the journey through scotch. All I knew from the nose was that I haven’t had a whisky of this distillery yet because it was really different from what I knew. On the nose there is creamy milk chocolate, dried apricots, white chocolate as well, then a bunch more dried fruits but it still comes across fresh and intensely floral. Everything is really intense as well. The palate is again creamy but not too sweet at all. It is custard and maybe - just maybe - a hint of sherry (which isn’t used for maturation). It is sweet, fruity and mellow. And while quite light and delicate in the beginning it becomes intense quickly. All this is accredited to virgin oak cask that were used for the whole maturation. I assume it is quite young. It those virgin oak casks give it a punch on the aroma palette. Very surprising.

Salty popcorn initially on the nose. Also dry cat food. Not as peaty as expected. Old peaches, polished leather, then it gets syrupy sweet, damp hay. Very round and well balanced. Dry and sweet ashy peat on burned caramel, still very fruity (squishy ripe fruits). It really reminds me of the Uigeadail. The nose is a bid different but the palate is a more intense version of the Uige.

Next to the familiar Arran sweetness there is pepper and salt on the nose. Also toasted Italian bread, lemon custard, a little tobacco, dried fruits. Really nice - not just because I’m a Arran fanboy - it is genuinely nice and different enough. Nutty palate with an acidic fruitiness. Very nice wood aromas. Then it gets smooth quickly. Great.

Nose: pine wood / pine needles, fresh green banana, sweetness, pear and the typical Campeltown foundation. Medium richness. Later soy sauce. Sweet and intense peat on the palate, cream filled butter croissant, dark whole grain cracker, ramen noodles. The finish is a bid weird. But insanely interesting. Wow, what an experience. Mind boggling & mind blowing. Insane. Really something else.

The nose is young sour berries, strong blueberries, oranges, light apple marzipan, alcohol up front but yet very silky smooth. Also the cask wood is very prominent. It really is a fresh fruit basket with some overly ripe white grapes in between. Smooth and rich. The fruits stand out along a nice wood influence. There is still young fruits and it remains not too sweet. It isn’t dry at all. Very nice mouthfeel. Weirdly enough I’m missing some expected depth. For me it doesn’t feel like a 21 but regardless the age it’s a great whisky. But the finish is amazing. For me the best part.