ScotchingHard
Talisker 25 year old (2005 special release)
Single Malt — Skye, Scotland
Reviewed
January 30, 2020 (edited June 12, 2022)
$68 for one ounce at Jack Rose.
This is the best Talisker I have ever tried. This is back when “Made by the sea” spoke for itself. Now, there’s videos of metrosexual sailors by Talisker on Instagram trying to remind me they are still “made by the sea.” This beast makes the modern day Taliskers more like “made by a puddle” in comparison. Even my treasured 27 year old 1985 Maritime Edition Talisker at 56.1% is minor leagues compared to this.
Maturation for this whisky would have started in 1979-80. This does not fuck around. Older Taliskers these days get a pass for being soft. “It’s mellowed out,” we say. “It’s more refined,” we argue. This Talisker has the complexity and richness of 25 years of maturation, and it still lays a haymaker like a cresting Atlantic wave… with a shark inside.
Mindblowing orchard fruits and citrus. Devastating spices with black pepper, fennel, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Dirty earthy notes of rope, fresh asphalt, and clay. It’s sweet, peppery, and earthy, all at the same time. There is so much going on that you almost miss the smoke and salinity in the background. This needs a little bit of dilution, if for nothing else but to turn the volume down a little.
This was a heartbreaking dram in that I realize I have been blind to the degradation of what I thought was a decent distillery. Talisker was made by the sea. It was.
Score: **** (My own piss after drinking this was on par with Talisker 10)
How much does a bottle cost: I see 650 pounds and in stock at Whisky Exchange
How much do I think a bottle is worth: $800
68.0
USD
per
Pour
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@Soba45 just wanted to point out just how good these older bottlings are. Their are only two whiskies I've had that I would state are clearly better that I've had. Mind you I haven't had the boras of the world. It's a whisky worthy of being the showcase at the end or start of a night when only high end whisky is provided.
@dhsilv2 These variants definitely don't sound mellow I was meaning the std OB 30 yrs etc. They maybe great drams to a lot of people but to me personally they are mellow, the Talisker profile isn't as rough in your face as the younger brethren.
@Soba45 calling these a mellow beast is nothing but wrong. These are the things of dreams.
@dhsilv2 Yeah as SH said people wax lyrically about the old aged Taliskers which are mellow beasts but for me personally they don't do a lot for me especially once price is factored in. This one sounds awesome a Talisker which is still alive and kicking right into old age.
@Soba45 this is a once in a lifetime quality dram. Any of these old CS 25's are just that.
I've had 3 pours from a 2004 edition, it was one of the best pours of my life. What makes it even more crazy is how different the first pour was from the last. I was lucky to get one of the first and last pours from the bottle. It went from a massive peat bomb to a much more fruity and smokey dessert. Both versions were some of the best whisky I think I'll ever experience. I have access to hopefully soon (corina!!!!!!!!) a 2005 edition. I hope it lives up to the 2004, that was magic.
Sounds phenomenal. As does Jack Rose's, which I have yet to visit. I have a business trip to DC in April, and I'm already trying to figure out how to squeeze in a stop there.
Formidable, mon ami. Je paierair $1,000. Talisker est une force de la nature.
This and the 2009 version are the highest priced...if that’s any indication of quality
Damn back in 2005 it would have been a great price as well! Sounds like one I'd love to try but $68 an ounce is definitely above my price range these days!