During the 1990's Talisker was usually one of the first single malts that
a relative malt whisky novice would get to try. As part of Diageo's series of
six 'Classic Malts' (along with Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Oban
and Lagavulin on Islay) it was one of the few Scotch single malts that could
be found on the shelves of almost every reasonably stocked liquorist.

Together with Lagavulin, Talisker represented a heavier side of the single
malt spectrum. Their barley (which is malted at Glen Ord) isn't as peaty as
Lagavulin's (the Talisker 'recipe' requires a peating level of +/- 22 PPM) but
the whisky still makes a strong impression on most novices in the world of
single malt Scotch. This was especially true in the 1990's when Islay malts
like Ardbeg and Caol Ila were not available as proper single malt 'brands'.

The remote island of Skye has many similarities with Islay - for one thing its Hebridean climate.
Nevertheless, it's usually classified as an 'Island' whisky, which most experts consider to be part  of the
'Highlands' region. This means that Talisker is grouped together with a mish-mash of other malt whisky
distilleries which have very different profiles, including Arran, Highland Park, Jura, Scapa and Tobermory.
The distant location of Talisker was not chosen because that made the distillery hard to find for excise
men that roamed the land in the illustrious illegal days of Scotch whisky. When the distillery was built
in 1831 the whisky business had just turned legitimate - less than a decade earlier George Smith had
just obtained the first proper license to distill whisky at Glenlivet distillery.

Talisker was built in 1830 by brothers Kenneth and Hugh MacAskill.
As sons of the local doctor they were part of the establishment, so it's
unlikely they would have embraced the fine art of distillation so bravely
if it had still been an illegal practice. But for those that took the trouble
of obrtaining a license it wasn't anymore, so distillation at Talikser was
started in 1831. Everything proceeded smoothly for two decades, but
in 1848 they passed the lease of Talisker on to North of Scotland Bank.
 
The bank didn't hold on to the distillery for more than a decade; they
sold it on to Donald McLellan in 1857 for a mere 500 GBP. Despite the
relatively modest investment Donald had problems making Talisker turn
a profit, so in the 1860's John Anderson became involved. After he was
imprisoned for selling casks of whisky that never really existed (fraud
apparently wasn't invented in the 1900's) it was time for new owners
for the Talisker distillery; Roderick Kemp and Alexander Grigor Allen.

Roderick Kemp sold his share of Talisker in 1892 and used the proceeds to buy Macallan.
Ownership of Talisker kept changing in the decades after that, until DCL took control in 1916.
The method of triple distillation that was traditionally employed at Talisker was abandoned in 1928.
After administration of the distillery was transferred to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD, predecessors of Diageo) in 1930,
things quieted down for a while at Talisker for a few decades. However, in 1960 there was a large fire at the distillery.
Talisker was closed for two years, during which time they commissioned the construction of identical copies of the five
stills that were damaged or destroyed in the fire.

In 1988 Diageo launched the aforementioned 'Classic Malts Selection' and a decade later
they joined the finishing bandwagon with 'double matured' expressions of their six classic
malts. The 'Distillers Edition' of Talisker was enhanced with a amoroso sherry finish. Over
the years a number of limited editions was released and in 2004 Talisker expands the range
with an 18yo expression (shown at the left) as well as a 25yo bottling.

1) Talisker was part of Diageo's original series of six 'Classic Malts', together with Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie,
Glenkinchie, Lagavulin and Oban. This series was first released in 1988. Around 2005 a bunch of other distilleries
were added to the range; Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Glen Elgin, Glen Ord, Knockando and Royal Lochnagar.

2) More trivia will be added later...
 

Talisker NAS '175th Anniversary' (45,8%, OB, Bottled 2005)
Nose: Mellow and sweetish. Faint hint of rubber? A nice and slightly 'coastal' nose. faint organics.
Aaah... Dust and sherry. Quite peculiar. Cleaning vinegar. I like the individuality here. This is different.
Taste: Solid, sweet and fruity. Hint of smoke? A fairly classic profile, but some of the details seem slightly off.
A trace of peat on the palate after a while? Yep. Some nice tannins too. Just a tad watery and deconstructed.
It doesn't seem to go in any particular 'direction', (usually necessary for me to go for a score in the 80's.
Score: 83 points - it's a very nice drinking whisky. Not special enough for the upper 80's, though...

Talisker 10yo (45.8%, OB, Batch number L15N01183495, Bottled +/- 1999, Skye map label)
Nose: Wow! Smoke and organics, lifted by a subtle sherry influence in the background.
Brooding and sinister. Swampy. Some subtle spices below the surface. Hint of mint?
Amazing complexity - I think this batch of the 10yo has the best nose of any batch.
Taste: Surprisingly fruity start, growing hot, peppery and smoky towards the centre.
Drier and more 'winey' towards the finish. Interesting development, but it lacks body.
Score: 90 points - the nose is just as good as that of earlier batches, if not better. Unfortunately, the palate isn't quite as stellar. I had the score at 89 points for a long time, but the final sniffs from the glass before I had my last sip convinced met that this one deserves a score in the 90's, despite the weaker body. Give it time!

Talisker 10yo (45.8%, OB, Batch number L15T01047290, Bottled +/- 2003)
Nose:  Peaty with a hint of citrus. Pepper? Liquorice? Clay? Aaaah... I've struck gold here.
Something dry and medicinal - more like Laphroaig? Oh boy, this is just great!!!
Taste: Hot, peppery start. Develops into a full, sweet centre before growing very dry.
Not nearly as overwhelming as the nose, though - it loses some serious points here.
Score: 88 points - at first I thought this could be a 90's malt as well, but the palate convinced me otherwise.
That being said, it does improve considerably after a few months of breathing in the bottle.

Talisker 1986 Distillers Edition (45.8%, OB, TD-S: 5AM, Bottled +/- 1998)
Nose: Sherried start, deeper and fruitier than the 1989 DE. Powerful and complex. Hint of antiquity?
Complex woody tones. Hint of smoke. Then organics emerge - stock cubes? Great.
Taste: Subtle smoke at first, growing sweeter and fruitier, then hotter. Likeable.
Yeah, there's the pepper - and lots of it. Long, satisfying finish, slightly winey.
Score: 89 points - three points up from my initial score of 86 points for my first dram.
When you give it time this is a fabulous malt - just don't expect the character of a 'normal' 10yo.

Talisker 1989/2002 Distillers Edition (45.8%, OB, TD-S: 5DP).
Nose: Complex. Wood, sherry and coffee. Lighter and spicier than the 1986.
Some peat in the background. Very entertaining and surprisingly accessible.
Subtle fruits on the surface but something evil lurks at the bottom of the pond.
Palate: Ouch - this is a tad disappointing. Very dry. Minty fresh. Peppery prickle.
Woody finish. The nose can compete with the 1986 DE, but the palate surely can't.
Score: 85 points - I had it in the upper 80's before I tasted it. Not really my style.

Talisker 18yo (45,8%, OB, Bottled +/- 2006)
Nose: Woody, Polished. Faintest hint of peat? Heavy and quite peaty on the palate. Sweet smoke too.
During round 2 the nose seemed sweeter. It has power, but's it's not clearly peaty.
Here's another one that needs quite some time to fully open up in the nose - and expose the peat on the palate.
Taste: Tannins in the finish - which seems just a tad thin. I love the profile, but it seems just a tad watery.
Touch of liquorice. This one desperately need time to open up.
Score: 88 points - if it had been as complex from the start it might have been 89 or even 90.

Talisker 20yo 1981/2002 (62%, OB, Sherry, 9000 Bottles).
Nose: Coffee. Tia Maria? Ah, now it opens up into rich sherry and fruits. Fabulous!
Very complex organics. Hint of peat in the background. Good wood - like an old Macallan.
Palate: Sweet and smoky. Great wood. Long finish. An overproof malt, but I hardly noticed it.
Score: 93 points - interestingly enough, it almost smells like an old Macallan to me.
The very best Talisker I've had so far; a work of art.

Talisker 20yo 1982/2003 (58.8%, OB, Bourbon, 12000 Bottles).
Nose: Sweet and smooth. Very faint organics in the background, slowly moving to the front.
A little metallic. Peat? Quite pleasant, but not nearly as complex or expressive as the 81/02.
Palate: Sweet and smooth with a peppery prickle in the dry centre. Malty. Grows hotter.
Chewy. Something fruity - water melon? Dry, peaty and very salty after five minutes.
Score: 80 points - I'm glad I didn't waste more than 100 Euro's on this one.

Talisker 25yo 'Bottled in 2004' (57.8%, OB, Refill casks, 21000 bottles)
Nose: Fruity start, quickly growing mustier, then sweeter. Lovely. Not much development with time, though.
Taste: Hmmm... An odd, almost perfumy episode before a short flash of peat. Wood. Aspirin. Harsh. Bitter finish.
Not a lot of changes in the nose after adding water, but the palate blossoms. Sweet and peaty. Fruits too.
Score: 83 points - The nose starts off lovely, but it's let down by the harsh, fiery palate. Hot, hot, hot...

Talisker 15yo 1989/2004 (59.9%, SMWS 14.14)
Nose: Raw rhubarb. Very restrained. Something faintly grassy or herbal. Nothing too remarkable at first.
Seems fruitier and spicier in the nose during round II. Peppery, hot & dry on the palate again.
Taste: Sweet start, growing bigger and a little peppery in the centre. Hot and dry; slightly woody finish.
It becomes extremely 'chewy' at the end of the loooong finish. I was litterally chewing my gums here.
Score: 87 points - by no means '100% perfect' (especially in the nose), but I love the overall package...

Talimbourg 19yo 1986/2005 (45.9%, The Whisky Fair, Bourbon hogshead #1485, 252 Bottles)
Nose: Sweet start. It almost threathens to go in an oily direction, but never really does. A clean malt.
Taste: Faintest hint of peat? Yes, sweet as well. reminds me a bit of #50. Chewy, feels quite gritty in the finish.
Something that reminds me of oriental cooking, but I don't know what. Nice chewy mouth feel in the centre.
Score: 82 points - I'd put this in the 'recommendable' category, even though it's not really my style of malt.

Talisker 19yo 1980/2000 'Tactical' (50%, DL OMC, 348 Bottles)
Nose: Clean, complex and grainy - which doesn't really describe how wonderful this is.
Subtle fruits and marzipan. At first it reminds me of the Saint Magdalene 19yo 1979 UDRM.
Then a barrage of salt, smoke and organics emerges. Peat. Pink bubblegum. Amazing.
Taste: Hot with an herbal twang at first. Dry and salty. Liquorice. Not a lot of depth.
Score: 90 points and nothing less. Different from the 'house style' but fabulous.
Especially the nose - if you finish this within fifteen minutes you'll miss a lot of fun.

Talisker 14yo 1979/1993 (64.3%, Cadenhead's, D07/79, B10/93, 5cl)
Nose: Oh, boy - this is another beauty. Smoke and organics. Turkish peppers and fruits.
Then it picks up some distinct medicinal elements. Serrano Ham. Spices. A straight shooter.
Taste: Definitely some peat on the palate. Salt and smoke as well. Dry. Serious. Simply fabulous.
Score: 91 points - a real beauty. This could have easily been an Islay malt - like an OMC Ardbeg.
This must be the 'strongest' single malt I've ever tried with a whopping alcohol percentage of nearly 65%.
 

These were not all the (official and independent) expressions of Talisker whisky I've tried over the years.
My Track Record used to contain a complete overview of all the single malts I've tried, but when I passed the 2000 malts mark (and the complete whisky list wouldn't fit on two separate HTML pages anymore) I gave up. My Liquid Log still contains my tasting notes on most single malts I've sampled and scored, though. You can find a specific expression through the search box at the top of each distillery profile. The mAlmanac now contains (purely personal) selections of some of the best single malts and the worst whiskies I've tried so far - as well as the ones with the highest 'Bang-For-Your-Buck' value. But those tasting notes and scores only reflect my own, purely personal opinions. On Serge's distillery profile on Whiskyfun you can find another perspective on the whisky made at this distillery. Check out the Malt Maniacs Monitor on Malt Maniacs for my scores on all expressions I've tried so far - and those of almost all the other certified malt maniacs as well. The Malt Maniacs Matrix contains a few thousand single malts that were sampled and scored by at least four different malt maniacs, so you can compare our individual opinions.
 
 

In 2005 Talisker distillery celebrated its a birthday and released the '175th Anniversary' without an age statement. This was hardly a 'limited edition'; some 60,000 bottles were produced. At the same time they launched another 25yo expression (the third edition).
 
A 30 years old bottling was first released in 2006, as well as another edition of its 25yo expression. These bottlings may not seem that old compared to releases in the ranges of Macallan or Dalmore, but for Talisker it was a significant departure. For the first ten years of the 'Classic Malts Selection' only the 10yo standard bottling was available and after the 'Distillers Edition' became available in 1998 they didn't release any older expressions for a few years. So, older OB's of Talisker are a fairly new phenomenon.

Talisker re-opened its doors in 1962 and proceeded
as before until 1972. At that point the malting at the
distillery stopped. From then on the barley was malted
at the Glen Ord Central Maltings in the Highlands.