LouisianaLonghorn
Talisker 8 Year (2020 Special Release)
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
September 16, 2022 (edited November 29, 2022)
Moving is hard. Can we agree on that? Moving across town is difficult, but moving states is a whole different ball of wax. Starting over. New job. New house. New commute. New friends. It all takes a toll. Fortunately, whisky is here to help.
I recently completed a PhD program. Yes, that ivory tower snobbery has a grain of truth to it, but at the end of the day, getting a terminal degree is no simple task. It involves years of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. No to mention the lack of reasonable income while you pursue the degree. Fortunately I have a lovely wife who supports my career goals. As a celebration for completing the degree, we went to Scotland this past summer. Visited the Talisker distillery on Skye for our trouble (also experienced amazing hiking and seafood. Highly recommend). At the “rare and exclusive” tasting I attended, I got to sample Taliskers between 8 and 45 years old. Not bad, right?
I ended up walking away with the eight-year-old special edition from 2020. It’s one of the only good things to come out of that year. Eight-year-old Talisker a cask strength with a lovely rum finish. It’s been open for about four months and I’m about a third of the way through the bottle.
Invited a new colleague over to the house after work today for drinks. He is a peat fan so after a few dramas we finished with this. After it’s opened up in the bottle of The bottle a bit it’s damn near perfect whiskey. Classic Talisker brine and Chili pepper wrapped in a lovely envelope of tropical fruits. This may be the only situation in which mangoes and oysters work well together. I was able to still buy this is the distillery, but I doubt it’s still available anywhere except secondary. If you can find it I say it’s worth a mark up. It’s delicious and it helps you make friends cheers!
90.0
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Nothing like being able to move on after defending thesis and getting to enjoy good whiskey (and being able to afford it for a change)!
@LouisianaLonghorn wow, that’s very cool!
@DrRHCMadden I work in the psychology of music and human learning. I teach people how to teach music and how it interacts with their brain.
Congrats and what a great way to celebrate. Love talisker!
Many thanks to you all for the warm wishes.
Ahhh I wish I got a trip to Skye when I finished my PhD! Well done Doc, cracking stuff. What was your field? This sounds delicious, well deserved indeed!
Very cool! Life is for the living. Way to seize the moment - Ph.D, job, move and Scotland.
Congrats on the career accomplishments and the rewarding trip to Scotland.
Congrats on your PhD @LouisianaLonghorn !That’s a tough, albeit fulfilling accomplishment! The Scotland trip and T8 take home sound like the perfect cherry on top. Kudos/well -played!
@LouisianaLonghorn Absolutely! It’s always a great reminder that epic whisky can come at any price point and that high age/price doesn’t always guarantee a better experience.
@pkingmartin isn’t it nice when that happens?
@LouisianaLonghorn Oh nice, the best of the lineup and they had a bottle in stock to bring home. I always love it when my conclusion at the end of a tasting is that my favorite turned out to be the least expensive as well.
@LouisianaLonghorn congratulations on that accomplishment. I need to take that trip to Scotland. Hopefully soon. Nice choice of a distillery to enjoy and sample.
@pkingmartin the 35 year and the 27 year I tried were pretty tasty, but the 2020 and 2021 8 year cask strength expressions were the stars. Talisker (like a lot of peated drams) looses some of its fire as it gets older.
@LouisianaLonghorn congrats on the PhD!! I second pkingmartin’s question—-what were your favorites?
Congrats on the PhD!! Sounds like an amazing trip and worthy bottle to celebrate. What was your favorite out of the “rare and exclusive” tasting?
Jealous of your trip and the whiskey you came away with. Sounds like it’s well deserved. Congratulations on the PhD.