pkingmartin
Talisker Select Reserve (Game of Thrones-House Greyjoy)
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
June 3, 2021 (edited January 8, 2022)
Over at a friend’s house, I spotted a cache of GoT whiskies ready to explore. As we already had plenty of bottles to try, I asked for a recommendation on the best one and out came the Talisker.
The nose starts with what seems to be some sherry notes with caramel covered chocolate prunes then fruits of candied orange peel, peaches and apricots with vanilla cake before notes of light peat and ocean brine with dehydrated seaweed, ginger, leather and polished oak with light ethanol burn.
The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with vanilla orange creamsicle, then some sherry notes with chocolate covered raisins, apricots leading to campfire ashes, ocean brine with dehydrated seaweed, ginger, cloves, leather and light oak with a medium ethanol burn that finishes medium length with freshly fallen autumn leaves burning in a campfire, sea salt dark chocolate candy bar, candied orange peel, peaches, ginger, cloves and leather.
This is a solid whisky that makes me wish I had paid more attention to these GoT releases, but I already spend too much on whisky and definitely don’t need to play gotta catch them all on some gimmicky bottles to add to my overstuffed cabinets. The whisky is fruity; a balance of peat and spices, but this is also very salty. It seems they made sure to incorporate as much brine as a person can probably handle for the maritime House Greyjoy theme. I personally really enjoy salty foods and this worked really well for me, but I can also see a person dislike this for the same reason.
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@BDanner I literally just picked up the new Offerman one. It’s pricey at $80…but hopefully will be even better than the first one.
@PBMichiganWolverine I picked up the new one last week. I’m hoping maybe I just caught the old one on an off night or it needs a pour or two to open up. I agree with you on favorite celebrity endorsed whiskies. The Offerman/Lagavulin pairing was a natural extension. He was a vocal proponent for them long before he was a paid endorser. They’ve also done a great job with the campaign centered around him. I’ll also sheepishly admit to really liking McConaughey’s WT Longbranch.
@BDanner I’ve been meaning to get that mew Offerman edition. One of the only celebrity releases I’ve liked —-probably because he was a fan first and then a spokesperson. The reviews all seem really good
@BDanner that GoT is good, just not as good as the Clyneish or Talisker, at least to me. It wasn’t worth the price, considering the Lag 16 is a bit more but much better.
@PBMichiganWolverine ugh. Don’t tell me that. I have a bottle of the Lag GOT waiting patiently on the shelf. I’ve got to say, I just cracked the old release of the Offerman Edition (not the new Guinness edition) and was thoroughly underwhelmed. I’m hoping this is not a trend for their limited releases. That 16 though......
This and the Clyneish were probably best of the series. I felt the Lag fell a bit short in comparison
My introduction to Talisker, and man did it make an impression.
Spot on! This one exceeded my salt threshold unfortunately
@ctbeck11 Thanks! I look forward to reading your reviews on them.
Great notes. Gotta love that sweet, briny Talisker goodness. I have three Taliskers I’ve been sitting on. You’ve inspired me to make those my next set of reviews.