It’s been another hot minute. Life keeps getting in the way lately. I am pleased to knock the cobwebs off again though with a Talisker, and a special release that has gone back to an age statement. A promising omen I hope. And at 58.7% ABV this may be something quite big to tackle. N: Straight into an orchard overflowing with superbly crisp pears and tart green apples. There is a dryness in here through, not unlike the air at the end of a hot spate of weather. Sitting with it though, there are things to unpack, a sweet vanilla, a stony mineral twang and just about some vinegary notes. The nose is crisp, but it takes work to seperate out from a very apple-pear juice forward dominance. P: Medium to full bodied, sticky sweetness up front and the definite knowledge that all 58.7% is here to scream in your face. Ooph, that was a heavy hit. Get past that and it mellows, just enough to let honeyed pears, salty toffee, and peppery heat come through. The salt is the stand out note, its mineral rich and of a pebble beach nature. But its delicate, look to long in its direction and it will duck beneath the waves and out of sight. F: Medium-long. The high ABV does some heavy lifting but its not great. A little damp smoke, a little minerality, and some generic baked apple with chantilly cream; but I am stretching to find character here. A drop of water adds to the nose, toasty, bready-grains. A palate calmed and softened has smoke surge forward like throwing green leaves on a fire. Pepper changes to the Talisker chilli bite. The finish lengthens through to a very drying presence of embers and stone. Is this Talisker? yes. Is this Talisker at its finest? Absolutely not. Is this Diageos finest in marketing spinning a story of waves and stones and sea? Absolutely yes. To be honest I’m disappointed, but not surprised. In an increasingly saturated market, spinning a tale is probably more important to the bean counters than the quality of the product. This, even with an age statement, feels rushed. Massive ABV but without finesse. I feel like the ABV is there to mask inferior batches rather than to give the Talisker connoisseur something to play with. Talisker should be a storm, or the sea, or a tempestuous coastline captured in a glass. This though, this is imitation Talisker. Distiller whisky taste #304 [Pictured here with a pair of trilobites from the Order Harpetida. These are from the Middle Devonian of Morocco and showcase a wonderful semicircular brim on their heads. The wide brim features small pores. It is postulated that the trilobite drew water through the brim pores to churn up the sediment, trapping a cloud of detritus between its mouth and the brim to feed from.] Talisker running scores T10: 4/5 T18: 4.75/5 Skye: 3.25/5 Port Ruighe: 2.75/3 Storm: 3.5/5 Dark Storm: 4.25/5 Surge: 4/5 57 North: 4.25/5 X Parley Wilder Seas: 4.25/5 T8 2018 Special Release: 4.5/5 T15 2019 Special Release: 3.5/5 T8 2020 Special Release: 4.25/5 T8 2021 Special Release: 4.5/5 T11 2022 Special Release: 4/5 Wild Explorador 2023 Special Release: 3.5/5 Tidal Churn 8 yo 2024 Special Release: 2.75/5