Talisker Distillery Exclusive 2017

As long as there is a pandemic, I’ll continue my online whisky tasting, the so-called WhisQy Masterclasses. WhisQy with the Q of Quarantine of course. They are quite popular which makes me happy, for it allows us to share drams and stories despite the crisis. In the fifth edition I presented a line-up of Talisker which included this Distillery Exclusive from 2017. Some 6.000 bottles were released and the label reveals the following: ‘First matured in refill oak casks, then specially charred American Oak hogsheads, before finally maturing in old European Oak puncheons’.

This results in a surprisingly soft nose at first, despite the slightly higher ABV. Heathery honey and overripe fruit, a soft sea breeze in the back. Sweet malt and just a pinch of salt & pepper. Very elegant.

Softer than expected on the palate as well. The typical maritime notes are immediately present (citrus, pepper, salt), but are fondled by a truckload of honey and even some caramel, making it surprisingly sweet. Atypical maybe, but it remains Talisker, no doubts there. And boy, this is very tasty!

The finish lasts forever and is somewhat drying. The sweet elements come first, but along the way the typical maritime notes of Talisker kick in to dot the proverbial I’s.

A slightly different Talisker, making it very interesting in my book. And delicious to boot. It ended in the top three of many participants of said tasting and rightfully so.

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