Talisker 2000 Distillers Edition

This is from the Talisker 3x20cl gift pack. Very similar to the Talisker 10 for the first part of its life before a quick finish in Amorosso sherry casks just to add an extra dimension. It's pleasant stuff.

• Nose: Chocolate oranges, tiramisu, sherry richness, quite nutty on the nose, also plenty of Talisker pepper and phenolic peat. With water bread dough, candied oranges, icing sugar, vanilla, butterscotch, a ncie sweet blanket over the maritime character of the whisky, plenty of contrast.

• Pallet: rich, spicy, chilli arrival like to 10, saw dust, earthy peat and maritime briny note, mocha and the nutty note from the nose, rich and chocolaty with bit wafts of smoke. With water sweet sherry, even a little bit of stewed tea, chocolate oranges, very light savoury coffee note, little bit spicy and a cheeky burst of phenols.

• Finish: moves quickly, starts sweet goes dry, then a healthy dollop of pepper and phenols, moving to nutty flavours then fades away with an after-thought of drinking chocolate. With water there is a little pop of smoke followed by a lull, then there is a second coming with nutty dryness, cinnamon, finally some salt pops in while the smoke lingers in the background, lasts well.

• Mark neat – 8.3, with water – 8.3.

This is almost a really really good whisky but in this particular case its just a little bit too sweet. The Talisker character is a little masked by the Amorosso finish. Perhaps, other batches have better balance, i'd definitely give it a go, but this one isn't quite the real deal.

Also I recommend being very scientific with the water it has a very nit-picky effect on the nose, too much water and it’s drowned (pallet and finish are still ok), not enough and it’s a too hot to handle.

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