Ah, the hip flask. Perfect for outings in which you bring your own whiskey. Years ago, my wife (then-girlfriend) Carly gifted me an engraved flask. It was a very thoughtful gift I’ve used a handful of times. Some folks I know swear by their hip flasks. Whether it is sneaking a bit of whiskey into a football stadium, concert or parade, hip flasks do serve their purpose. Especially nowadays, when whiskey’s popularity is booming.
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
Passing along some interesting news from Buffalo Trace. They’ve launched a new interactive website that lets you “craft” your perfect bourbon. It gives you some nice visual insight into better understanding the distilling and aging process. Once you have your “perfect” bourbon, the website will match it with the closest-in-flavor profile bourbon Buffalo Trace produces. Read the full press release below.
Franklin Co, Frankfort, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2015) – There’s no denying that bourbon has become more popular these days, but many drinkers are new to the brown spirit and confused about how bourbon whiskey is made and the subtle nuances of recipes, aging, proof and warehousing. Buffalo Trace Distillery aims to change that with a new interactive website, http://www.yourperfectbourbon.com.
In just three minutes, users can design a bourbon perfect for their own taste. Once online, visitors will select their own bourbon recipe and learn how the grains such as corn, wheat, rye and barley influence the taste. Adding more rye results in a more “daringly spicy” bourbon, for example. Visitors will then see animated graphics explaining how the distillation process works, before witnessing just what 55 seconds of charring can do to an oak barrel. Then users on this bourbon journey get to select which level in the aging warehouse they want their barrel to age, and learn how different elevations within a warehouse ultimately impact the taste of each bourbon. Aging and proof round out the end of the experience, before each custom designed bourbon is complete. Then a description of each participant’s perfect bourbon is unveiled, based on their individual preferences. While each custom designed bourbon is unique, the website will also identify actual brands from the Buffalo Trace portfolio that taste most similar in profile, helping fans learn what they might like the next time they crave a sip of bourbon whiskey.
“I hope people will really enjoy this fun and interactive experience, while learning how bourbon is made,” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director. “It takes years to craft a great bourbon, but it only takes minutes to design your favorite online.”
*Please note, this website (www.yourperfectbourbon.com) is for entertainment purposes only, not for the purchase of whiskey.
Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey Info, Reviews, and Musings
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