Talisker 25 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (750mL)

Delicious, appetisingly dry and fully mature. This beautifully orchestrated variation of Talisker has a lingering finish which does not outstay its welcome.

Tasting Notes:

Appearance/Color: Warm gold.

Nose/ Aroma: Unreduced, a quiet nose, not hugely assertive, yet quite maritime. Fresh ship’s varnish. Faint nose prickle. Spicy, briny, with distant smoke. Adding water subdues the sea and raises subtle, sweeter notes.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and firm in body.

Palate/Taste: Delicious, appetisingly dry and still very much ‘there’ at 25 years. At bottled strength, a gentle start, immediately building in intensity. Slow and sweet, then kicks in peppery and hot, with significant balancing bitterness and salt, and a little smoke. This balance bursts across the palate, with a mouth-drying effect. Medium bodied. Drinks powerfully straight. Minerally. Toasty. Appetising. Adding water (30% approx.) gives a slower, sweeter, fruitier start, with the warmth coming in behind this then extending more slowly across the palate. There’s no marked chilli pepper catch in the throat at the end, but pepper is there on the tongue.

Finish: Long, warming, slightly bitter and very drying, with a little smokiness.

Initially salty, then sweet and spicy on the nose, with summer berries, heather honey, and an earthy note, plus subtle peat. - Gavin Smith, Whisky Advocate Fall 2012