Talisker 10 Year Old

The Talisker 10 does not need an introduction. While quite a few NAS releases saw the light of day in recent years (Skye, Storm, Dark Storm, Port Ruighe), the ten years old remains my favorite entry level malt from this distillery. The Talisker 10 never disappoints and the batch variations are so minimal (kudos to the Master Blender!) that any maltlover can rely on the fact that it tastes top notch every single time. My buddy Pat offered me a sample of a recent bottling – 2019 – that I thankfully accepted.

Yes, that nose… this is homecoming. The holy trinity of Talisker is present: salt, peat and pepper. Oysters sprinkled with lemon juice, a bonfire on the beach and a hint of unripe banana. This is – as usual – delicious.

Silky soft and almost creamy on the palate, with some oranges and wood up front. Then the pepper explodes on your tongue. The salt pushes away the pepper, only to move over itself to allow some sweetness on stage. Candied ginger and liquorice and a surprisingly bright note of Red Delicious, the sweet apple. I had not discovered this before. Fun!

The retro-nasal effect of this malt always makes me smile. Pepper and citrus with a fantastic trace of smoke.

This should be in your cabinet at all time. If for some reason you don’t know what to pour, then reach for this bottle. It literally never disappoints. Thanks, Pat!

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