Talisker Distillers Edition

Nose: Caramel, campfire, peat, smoked meats Nose after swirl: Much deeper BBQ notes. Smoked brown sugar, peat. Nose after water drop: Over-peppered BBQ Palate: Thick mouthfeel... like youve swallowed essential oils. Caramel, peat, earthy, almost medicinal, mesquite BBQ, burnt tips, Palate after water drop: much more natural earthiness, deeper smoked peat, leather, peppercorn. Finish: loooong, earthy, dark, peaty, deep sweetness.

2021 bottling. The nose is orange, milk chocolate, honey, pear, pepper. The peat is in there, but it's subdued more than i remember from my last tasting of this, which was from the 2019 edition. The nose is somewhat reminiscent of a Highland Park, more so than what I'd expect from Talisker. The palate shows more peat, but also shows a good bit of lactic funk. Wet cardboard. Ham, orange, light to medium peat. Prickly heat. The funkiness reminds me of the unpleasant experience i had with the Balvenie Toast of American Oak, which makes me think this bottle was somehow spoiled like i think that one was. Not to the same level, but this still is not great. After some googling, I'm convinced this bottle has experienced what's informally known as cork taint, or TCA spoilage. What convinced me is the recommendation to try soaking the whiskey with a bit of saran wrap, as TCA is said to bind to polyethylene. Sure enough, the whiskey seemed to improve after swirling it with a piece of cling wrap. However, as that's unrealistic to expect to do that with every dram, I'm considering trying to return this bottle to the store. Anyone else had any experience with corked whisky, or ever tried returning a bottle before?

* Sbs with oogy, Bowmore 15, Talisker DE * Oogy - a lot more smokieness than the other two. Pleasant smoke. Meaty smoke. 3.75 * Bowmore 15 - not feeling the sherry i felt before maybe due to the blood clot on tongue. Longer smoke finish. More sherry on palate. Vegetal smoke. 3.5 * Talisker DE - light-moderate smoke, thicker oily mouthfeel which I like, bit of burn. 3.5

Nose of smoked carrot juice. Body is vanilla cake and sweet green pepper. Smoked paprika. Some lovely white peach as well.

2019 edition. This is nice. Sweet sherry pairs well with the smoke, brine, leather, anchovies and bacon notes on the nose and silky palate, long warming finish. Overall, a beautiful sweet and savory whiskey, just fantastic!