soonershrink
Talisker 8 Year (2021 Special Release)
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
September 25, 2023 (edited March 21, 2024)
On the nose pear-lemon hard candy. Creamy vanilla. Salty. Peat smoke - but more smoke than peat. There is something slightly herbal/vegetal. The palate is largely the same. Vanilla, salt, lemon and pear, pepper, soot, smoke. The finish adds a bit of dark chocolate and seashell. I prefer with a few drops of water, as it's a little hot at nearly 60%. It does come across as slightly smokier than the 10 year, but it may just be because the higher proof makes all the flavors more pronounced. It seems on profile for a Talisker. As a fan, I find this to be quite enjoyable. What's not to like about a cask strength Talisker?
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@cascode @soonershrink That’s great to hear and know that a cask strength Talisker will reward patience. I’ve found the same with Octomores that seem to oxidize very well and improve for my palate the lower the bottle gets. My last dram from my cask strength Talisker 15 nearly had me purchase another bottle but then I realized how many bottles and samples I still need to catch up on and decided to wait. Still seems to be waiting for me at the liquor store, so perhaps one day I’ll finally free up enough space to go and purchase it.
@pkingmartin I had a bottle of this open for about 8 months and consumed it at a fairly steady rate. It oxidised well, the palate becoming a little broader over time but it never lost its touch right down to the last dram. I settled on taking it with about half a teaspoon of water to the dram, which for me is typically somewhere around 30ml. A lovely whisky.
@pkingmartin funny you say that, as the most recent pour I had of this I didn't add any water, and didn't think it needed it.
Nice review, and agreed--what's not to like? I've got a few Talker expressions, but not any cask strength.
I had the 15 year cask strength Talisker and it was really hot when I first opened it, but seemed to calm down a few months later followed by seemingly improving with each dram until the bottle was empty. I’d be interested in how your bottle progresses over time and nice review.