Talisker 10

Talisker has been a distillery I haven’t really connected with in recent years, but it felt the right time to return and try their flagship 10 year old malt. My last experience would have been a bottle of their non-age statement Talisker Skye some years back, and it didn’t make me want to rush out and explore the distillery further.

Talisker is known for it’s rugged, coastal and peaty character, befitting of it’s Isle Of Skye location and photography used on it’s packaging. It certainly sells well for owners Diageo. It is their third best selling single malt out of the 28 malt distilleries in their ownership. For many years it was the only distillery on the island, until Torabhaig came along and changed that.

Nose : Sweet and smoky with red fruits. Blackcurrent, toffee and cola cubes. Very herbal with sage and rosemary notes standing out. Campfire wood smoke and sea salt present also.

Palate : Sweet, fruity and juicy with more blackcurrent, but it then turns towards bitter and drying. Black pepper, smoky bbq and lots of salt and oak in a fairly long finish. A little thin on the palate, most likely thanks to chill filtration.

Conclusions : I’m pleased I decided to return to Talisker, as this was a very positive experience. As with a lot of Diageo’s offerings, it’s a shame they won’t move away from chill filtration and the adding of E150a caramel. I’m sure they know their market and feel it is what they want. The chill filtration certainly detracts from the experience a little on the palate, but it still has a lot going for it.

I paid a cracking £30 for this bottle, but a more usual price would be closer to £40. It’s all the money at that price for a 10 year old, but it certainly won’t disappoint.

Three word review : Fruity. Smoky. Coastal.

Score : 7/10

Vital statistics
ABV : 45.8%
Non-chill filtered : No
Natural Colour : No
Maturation : Primarily ex-bourbon casks
Region : Island
Colour : Deep Gold