Since we just went to the Italian presentation of the brand new Talisker Storm, before reviewing it we’d like to try and fill a giant hole pounding on whiskyfacile’s credibility: how is it possible that we never properly reviewed the historical Talisker 10? A true legend, a malt that transformed many occasional drinkers into whisky lovers with a deprecable attidute: people that go to whisky festivals with empty samples, farting about middle cuts and esters and with the annoying passion of nosing the glass dozens of time before even sipping.
N: oh, great as usual! Fruity and maritime side are perfectly balanced: on one side we have red apples, burnt sugar (we’d say tarte tatin, but also apples and pears cooked with cinnamon), strawberry jam, orange peel, candied citrus… The maltiness of Talisker is still nervous, and under a blanket of spices (cinnamon, cloves, black pepper) there’s a slight smokiness – slight because even if it’s deep and intense it’s perfectly integrated in a compact profile. Oh, and on all of this there’s an Atlantic breeze, fresh and iodine. A great nose, complex and yet very affable.
P: wow!, a compact and solid taste, that you could just resume screaming “Talisker!”. But since we’re to dissect, there’s everything we found on the nose, just coming back with an explosive intensity. It’s complex and colourful: peppery and spicy, velvetly smoky; and yet it’s warm, with a malty and fruity sweetness (tarte tatin again, apricot jam, rusks); a special mention to cigar tobacco notes.
F: burnt wood; it seems there’s maritime peat burning under your nose… and behind, again a toffee sweetness and even some chocolate.
This morning we saw that this bottle costs 29 at the supermarket: without any doubt, together with Esselunga’s gorgonzola, it’s maybe the product in the food and beverage range with the best quality/price ratio: or well, at least we can say that we do like it. Balanced, complex, intense, definetely suggested to all of you out there: a Talisker 10 MUST sit on your whisky shelf. Our vote will be 88/100, and Serge say this, Ruben this and Ralfy this.
Recommended soundtrack: Hank Williams III – Straight to Hell / Satan is real.
