Talisker 10 year old, Talisker Distiller's Edition and Talisker 15 year old Special Edition 2019

Gateway whiskies. We all have them. It may be that one whisky that started us on our initial journey into the spiritual wonderland that is whisky, that eureka moment if you will. As we progress in our journey there will be more gateways to cross the threshold of. As an Irish whiskey drinker I wasn’t convinced about the positives of scotch until Balvenie 12 year old entered my life and threw wide open a new rabbit hole.

Once that was opened I knocked on the door of peated scotch with quite possibly the worst of first introductions by way of Laphroaig. I just was not prepared for the full frontal assault of the senses that it unleashed. For a while anything peated went completely off the radar. ‘Not for me’ was my go to answer when peated whisky was the subject of discussion or if it was pro-offered.

That gate was not fully shut though. I read and heard so much about the wonders of peated whisky that I still had the urge to explore. As it happens a close friend had just been overcome with admiration of all things peat and was waxing lyrical about two drams in particular, in the Islay corner, Caol Ila 12 year old and in the Isle of Skye corner, Talisker 10. He was adamant that these were much more approachable in nature than the peat monster that is Laphroaig.

Being keen to develop my palate and appreciation I readily agreed to a meet up and a tasting. Surprisingly I was really taken with both drams. More subdued in the peat department but full of coastal flavours and sweetness I was pretty much hooked and couldn’t wait to buy my own bottles of each.

Scarily the last time I reviewed Talisker 10 was in July 2017. Nine years ago…YIKES! Where has the time gone? Sufficed to say that plenty more peated whiskies have passed my lips since then and my palate has not only broadened but it’s changed too. So out of curiosities sake I decided to purchase another bottle of the Talisker 10 to see how I felt about it 9 years later, especially as I personally feel that a lot of the Diageo single malts are declining in quality as rapidly as they increase in price. I also purchased the Talisker Distillers Edition which is essentially a double matured version of the 10 year old. For the giggles I also thought I’d compare a sample of the Talisker 15 year old Special Edition from 2019 which I got from an online tasting held by Belfast Whiskey Club during those heady days of Lockdown……I know, I know, I’m not quick at reviewing things, don’t hold it against me, I get there eventually.

The Talisker 10 then is matured in American Oak barrels aka ex bourbon for its entirety. Before distillation the barley is peated to around 18-20ppm which means the new make comes of the still at around 5-7ppm leading to a much gentler peat aroma and flavour than the big hitters from the Kildalton trio of Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroiag.

The Talisker Distillers Edition takes the 10 year old expression and gives it up to 6 months extra maturation in ex-Amoroso sherry casks. Amoroso is the fancy way to describe the Cream Sherry style such as your granny’s favourite Christmas tipple, Harvey’s Bristol Cream. This style came about for sherry’s exported to Northern Europe which would usually be sweetened with PX or Muscat or took Oloroso’s and beefed them up with a little brandy. Hopefully this should impart some flavours of walnuts, orange and toffee.

Both the 10 year old and Distillers Edition are bottled at 46.3% abv which is a nice bottling strength but sadly both are afflicted by colouring and chill filtration. I can’t remember what I paid for either of these , but I believe both were on offer on Amazon at the time. Current pricing is as follows: the 10 year old is £48 on the Whisky Exchange (other sites are available) and the Distillers Edition is £66.

Finally we have the 2019 Special Edition which was matured in re-charred refill ex-bourbon hogsheads. Bottled at 57.3% abv this is thankfully natural colour and non chill filtered. It cost £110 on release.

Let’s Taste!

Talisker 10 year old 46.3% abv

Nose: A little shy and closed. Wet ropes and smoked haddock. Apple and pear crumble. Butterscotch, pecans and rock salt. A mild antiseptic note with nori. Some lemon peel too.

Palate: For the abv this feels thin palate wise. Comes across smokier and spicier than the nose. Clean peat, chilli flakes, a wisp of iodine and then white pepper. Salted caramel, red apples and grilled lemons. There’s an acrid, burnt plastic note towards the finish.

Finish: Short to medium with some prickly heat, ashy smoke and that bitter plastic note.

Score: 4 out of 10

Talisker Distillers Edition 46.3% abv

Nose: Sweet and rich. California raisins, sherry, salted pistachios and molasses. Traces of smoke along with blueberry compote, orange zest, milk chocolate and nutmeg. New leather and polished wood.

Palate: The Amoroso is quite dominant. Sticky dates and sweet palomino grapes. Walnuts, dry oak, sea salt, chocolate and caramel. Very faint smoke with a slight minerality plus some menthol. Again the palate feels a little thin.

Finish: Medium in length with a chilli flake bite, mild peat and a dry ashiness.

Score: 5 out of 10

Talisker 15 year old 2019 Special Edition 57.3% abv

Nose: This feels more like it - A big coastal bonfire, toffee popcorn, ashy highland peat, sea spray, toasted coconut and cracked black pepper. Dried lemons, apple skins, peach and vanilla cream. Some charred oak and dried seaweed. Water brings out wet sand, ground almonds and nectarines.

Palate: A lovely weight and texture to this - salty, bourbon caramel sweetness plus black pepper, green jalapeño’s, melon and lemon. Charcoal, smoked kippers, menthol, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon hots. A little dried mango too. There’s a lovely maritime peat that underpins everything. Water brings more spice, oak and lime juice.

Finish: Long and spicy with citrus oils, fresh mint and charred oak.

Score: 7 out of 10

Overall: I’ve had the feeling for a while that like a lot of Diageo malts, things have been on a slow downward spiral with Talisker. The price hikes and seeming decline in quality have mean’t that Talisker is a brand that I don’t really consider much these days. The fruits of this tasting probably only cement in my mind that Talisker will be ever more fleeting on my whiskey radar.

The 10 year old was once upon a time a dram I’d have steered people too quite happily, much like Highland Park 12 or a Caol Ila 12. But I just don’t think it warrants that much attention these days. Blended malts such as Douglas Laings Rock Oyster or Mitchells Campbeltown Loch offer much more of a dram for pretty much the same money. It’s not an awful dram per se but there is better on offer out there and I did struggle with the burnt plastic note that once found, I couldn’t escape.

The Distillers Edition does offer a little more in the sense that there isn’t that burnt plastic note found in the 10 year old. That being said it’s roughly £20 a bottle more and I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay that again for something that I felt was just a little one dimensional.

Validation was achieved with the 15 year old Special Edition. This evoked memories of how I viewed Talisker’s about 10 years ago. Well presented, well constructed, plenty going on to keep your senses busy and more importantly, enough going on to make you want to return for another pour. Maybe I’ll just keep my eyes on the Special Editions going forward as I’m not sure that the core range offers much for me personally anymore. 

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