A couple of weeks ago we missed a gorgeous Talisker tasting by Milano Whisky Festival. We tried to cheer us up with a Port Ellen, but we really regret not being there. So in the next few weeks we’ll try to taste the malts sipped that night. Let’s start with a Talisker 18 yo, bottled ad 45.8% ABV, as usual. The colour is gold.
N: wow, what a “perfumed” whisky in the glass! The smokiness is present, but it’s really delicate, dancing in the background. Caramel and molasses, vanilla too: there’s a bitter side, with orange marmalade and chocolate-covered orange zests. Whiffs of sea breeze are occasionally blowing, and we don’t think they could entering from our window, considering that we’re tasting this dram in Milan… Nuts, cappuccino and pipe tobacco, with time.
P: well, it’s good. It holds together its two souls: the sweet one and the salty & peppery one. The first is bittersweet, indeed: orange marmalade again, honey and caramel… Then the iodine side is added, with those unmistakable pepper notes. The smokiness is more hardcore comparing to the nose. Licorice sticks and a wonderful oak influence. A carpet of ripe fruit on the background.
F: persistent, with the smokiness and the maritime side prolonging this sensation of bonfire on the beach. A slightly bitter finish, and your lips are (not surprisingly) salty.
As usual, Talisker standard is very high and its typical double trademark (seaside & pepper vs sweetness) is present from the beginning. It’s a composite-but-not-complex malt, even too gentle both to the nose and on the palate. It could have been a 90 points whisky with an extra-intensity. Anyway, considering its incredible price, we definetely recommend it: 87/100.
Sottofondo musicale consigliato: Raphael Gualazzi – Lady O
