Slainte-Mhath
Talisker 10 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
October 14, 2016 (edited November 25, 2018)
Famous for its 'chili catch', Talisker 10 from the Isle of Skye is said to be 'made by the sea' - a suitable analogy. Its mineral, phenolic nose reminds of fresh, salty seawater with iodine and seaweed. A light sweetness of citrus fruits combines with restrained peatiness. The arrival is strong with a rich note of malted barley and dried fruits, leaving a peppery chili burn on the palate. A real 'afterburner' that finishes pleasantly warming, briny and spicy. The only downside is the excessive addition of artificial colorant (E150a), combined with heavy chill-filtration.
RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 87 pts → FIRST-CLASS
30.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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Re-reviewed in 11/2018: It's more than 2 years since I last tasted and reviewed Talisker 10, so I was curious to try a recent batch. The good news is that the character is still intact, and I even got the impression that Diageo reduced the amount of E150a added to the malt. However, the finish falls a bit flat, to avoid the word 'disappointing'. If they would stop the 'kill' filtration, this whisky would be so much better. Altogether, 1 point down to 87, but still a very good malt in my book!
Ralf Mitchell (youtube ralfystuff) claims it has an impact on the taste. Don't know for sure. E150a is a natural component of every whisky, so by adding it artificially, one simply increases its concentration. Whatever the case, I don't like it. I prefere to drink whisky with natural color.
Besides just visually appealing, does the caramel do anything at all? I would think it probably intereferes with some taste?