Talisker Distillers Edition

This is my third different Diageo Distiller's Edition. I loved the Lagavulin, and the Oban was solid as well. This one features Amoroso sherry cask-aging, which is a first for me if I remember correctly. I've plenty of Talisker though, so I'm very interested to see what the wine-influence does to one of my all-time favorite malts. It says it was distilled March 21, 2008, so I'm assuming that this was the 2018 edition. The Distiller's Editions were all labeled that way. On to the tasting. Nose: Peaty and briny. Lots of sea salt, seaweed, campfire smoke, and a bit of ash. Salt water taffy and salted caramel. Iodine. Grapefruit, lemon, and black pepper. Some fruit notes. Cranberry, pineapple, apricot. Rounded off with some vanilla, honey, and toffee. Cinnamon and oak present themselves; it's not strong but the alcohol is there. Really nice combination of peat, sweet, fruit, and maritime notes. Some bitterness and citrus thrown in for good measure. Liking it a lot off the jump. Palate: Plenty of campfire smoke and iodine. Sea sea salt, seaweed, and salt water taffy. Surprisingly rich and creamy beneath the powerful peat notes and maritime notes. Vanilla, toffee, salted caramel, butterscotch, and a rare anise biscotti note. Green apple, pear, apricot, honeydew, and golden raisin. Some ginger slices thrown in. No red pepper black bean chili that is characteristic of Talisker. But it's still fantastic, nonetheless. Finish: Medium-long. Campfire smoke, iodine, sea salt, and seaweed, as well always. And then, there it is. True to form, I get black bean red pepper chili. Trademark Talisker. There's also a creamy note. Then grapefruit and lemon. Finally, black pepper, cinnamon, oak, and a bit more sea salt. Great finish. I've got a major bias toward Talisker. This one, the 10, and the 18 are three of my favorite whiskies. With these three expressions, I can confidently say that Talisker is a worthy guest at the round table of Islay. This one has every bit of smoke, peat, and medicinal influence that the finest Islay whisky could boast. Uniquely, it's heavily fruit-forward, and then at the finish, it's classic Talisker. I love this one. Haven't had a Talisker I don't love. The amoroso adds some nice layers to an already impeccable dram. At $70, I say sign me up every time.

Getting sweet and oak on the nose. Incredible flavor, raisins/more sweet, with the peat finish. Long burn.

Talisker transports me to the sea more than any whisky and this Amoroso-sherry finish edition is no different, despite the addition of a layer of rich dark fruits. The maritime air positively breezes out of the glass, transporting you to a breezy clifftop path dusted with sand and crushed shells. It’s oily and salty on first sip, then tangy and laden with preserved oranges. The finish is dry and earthy. Despite my love of Talisker, I don’t find myself chasing the annual releases as much as I do their Islay brethren, which speaks both to my susceptibility to marketing and Diageo’s more modest promotion of their Skye distillery. That’s a mistake I should correct based on this delicious sample from @jonwilkinson7309.