Boy, do I love Talisker. This is easily one of my top three Scotches, ever. I last reviewed this over three years ago, and it was LONG overdue for a return look.
Talisker is distilled on the Isle of Skye, the only distillery there. Skye is a northwestern island that is more or less due north of Islay. Talisker is a peated whisky - but not overwhelmingly so. Instead, the dominant flavors all seem to be oceanic - sea water, seaweed, sand minerals. Talisker is fairly unique in this.
The core Ten Year expression is, indeed, rather famous for being very heavy on mineral aspects - it's bottled at 45.8% ABV, chill-filtered, colored, and aged in oversized ex-bourbon casks; let's see what my second take is.
Nose: Both bracing and enchanting. Very heavily mineral: rock salt, oceanic brine, oceanic peat, strong seaweed, iron and copper (like when you suck your finger after cutting it), with an underlying sweetness of malt and honey. But this is overwhelmingly a savory nose.
Mouthfeel: A little oily, a little silky.
Palate: What a rich, complex series of flavors! Salt, peat a mile wide but less smoke than I remembered, stone, sea water, cracked black pepper, gentle honey, malt, more copper, a very very faint oily petroleum flavor (a la Springbank).
Finish: A wonderfully long, interesting finish: lemon, marshmallow, pepper, old wood, light ash, candle wax, and briny salt.
Verdict: This is one of the all-time great Scotches. It is the most mineral, most oceanic alcohol drink on the face of the Earth, but balanced by a wide array of supporting flavors that fill in every gap. My second look was mostly the same as the first one: less smoke, less pear, but the same emphasis on brine, stone, and peat. I could drink Talisker 10 Year all night long without a second thought. I look forward to finding the 18 year soon and making that a Christmas present to myself, reviewing it here.
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