Talisker is a distillery on the Isle of Skye in Scotland that’s been around since the early to mid 1800s.  In fact, it’s the only distillery on the rocky island.  It’s known to produce a single malt that captures the spirit of its unique location.  People swear they taste the ocean in Talisker’s whiskies.  Owned by Diageo, Talisker has several single malt expressions on the market.  We’re looking at their base expression – Talisker 10-year-old.  Bottled at 48.5% abv, Talisker 10 retails for about $50-$60.

The nose starts out sweet with honey and salted toffee over spiced pear, citrus and smoke.  The palate is full of rich toffee, fruit (think pear), some saltiness (I guess this is the ocean people taste) and a flinty-mineral note.  Underneath are layers of peat, heather and a touch of smoke.  The finish here is long and warm.  Sweet and slightly spicy notes (black pepper) linger.

Talisker 10-Year-Old is a rich, sweet, spicy and smoky whisky I instantly fell in love with.  There’s great complexity here, not only for a 10-year-old whisky, but for a whisky in general.  I can’t wait to try other Talisker expressions like the 18-year-old.  This one’s highly recommended.

8.5/10