Talisker Port Ruighe

Unless you have been living in outer space or totally without internet access in the last week or so, you must have heard about the new release from Talisker : the Port finished ‘Port Ruighe’. Basically it’s a NAS whisky finished for a certain time in barrels which previously held port wine, which are also known as “port pipes”. I recently tasted the other NAS released only recently by Talisker , the “Storm” and quite liked it, yet this one from what I’ve read is quite different, and it’s always interesting to see what effect this port finish has on the spirit, and if this Talisker preserves enough of it’s original DNA to please fans of the Talisker distillery. Price wise this release should be more expensive than the 10 year old by about 25%, yet current price as advertised by the whisky shop is £59.99 which is rather expensive and a significant price jump from the 10 and also the Storm. Is it worth buying at this price? Let’s try and see what’s it all about.

Nose: Rather interesting with a bit of peat laid upon a layer of sweet orange marmalade, cinnamon bubble-gum , some wood and firecrackers (or spent matches) , not many aromas of younger spirit in spite of it being NAS and probably not very old at all… a sprinkle of pepper, but not as pronounced as in the 10 year old. a bit of spiced apple too. interesting, and different.

Palate: Big stuff over here. sharp peppery, spicy and sweet entry, as in sweet chilly, and hot cinnamon, getting sweet and spicy at the same time, with the peat always in the background supporting and giving it a special character. water brings out additional sweet and fruity flavours and makes the chilly less noticeable.

Finish : chewed cinnamon gum, quite a bit of sweet smoke,and more wood, and damp earth. very long

Conclusion:

This is a very nice whisky, very different, yet pleasing to the palate. a nice addition to the range and quite far from the 10, Storm and the rest. Die hard Talisker fans might not like this one as much, but If you think of it as an addition to the line od expressions, which should be quite different and not a twist on the current 10 or Storm, then it certainly has its place. The issue of pricing is indeed a bit of a downer since 60 quid is quite a lot of money, and a big price jump from the excellent and much cheaper 10 yo. I sure hope this price is only a matter of time and as more shops stock this one it shall be much lower than what the whisky shop is now asking for it, being the first and only online shop to sell it right now.

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