Talisker Double Matured (Bottled 2008)

A very luxurious malt with a deft combination of the distilleries characteristic attack, mellowed by the extra cask aging which was in Jerez Amoroso wood according to the label. The bottle says it was distilled in 1996 and bottled 2008, although how long it’s spent in the Amoroso casks it doesn’t say. The 12 or so years of aging have produced a rich amber coloured liquor.
The aromas hint at the battle of wills that have gone on between the spirit and the cask to produce this whisky. The pine smoke and peat are winning the nose but the sherry sweetness is definitely there. The mouth feel is very full bodied and creamy and here the sherry influence really comes through with a lot of sweetness severely curtailing the attack although there is a spicy peppery flavour present in the background, a little light peat and some cocoa which provides some bitterness. The finish is more bittersweet with the butterscotch like sherry flavours lingering with some of the peppery spice.
A truly delicious whisky which shows the quality of the distillery and the casks. Do I prefer it to the more standard expressions (10 and 18 year old)? Maybe not, but variety is the spice of life, and I do like this variety.

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