Talisker is the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye and for many years was the only one. Looking out over Loch Harport, the distillery was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill brothers and has been producing whisky for almost the entirety of the past two centuries. Now owned by Diageo, the distillery is able to rely on the resources such a corporate conglomerate is able to provide, like access to a host of casks to use in finishing. The Distillers Edition series is a program run by Diageo where standard offerings of a distillery are then further aged in ex-sherry or ex-wine casks. The Talisker Distillers Edition is a Talisker 10 year aged a further 12 months in ex-amoroso sherry casks. Amoroso is a blend out of Jerez, Spain where bodega workers would add a touch of Pedro Ximenez sherry to their bottles of Oloroso sherry, to make it more loveable, or “amoroso,” for their wives. This is similar to a cream sherry.
Distillery: Talisker
Region: Island
Age: NAS
Strength: 45.8%
Price: $79.99
Maturation: ex-amoroso sherry casks
Location: Carbost
Nose: Brine, smoke, toast, orange blossom, honey, mandarin peel
Palate: Smoke, brine
Finish: Dry sherry, smoke
Comments: Thanks to Indigo Wine for the story about Amoroso. If you can, try comparing another Talisker with the Distillers Edition, like some of us did with the Talisker Storm.
Adam – The Talisker Distillers Edition is a dream. Like eating cotton candy, there is no abrupt wasabi hit of flavors to your palate. You float through these delicious experiences, delighted. The extra aging in the ex-sherry casks adds such a gloss that serves to integrate the elements into a more cohesive whole. The brine and the smoke I loved from the Storm is still here but takes a back seat, suddenly grown into a refined older sibling. This allows the citrus and honey to shine in the nose and the beginning of the palate before some of the more island-y characteristics you know and love come back in a sweet smoky finish. Cue the string quartet to start the waltz and hitch up your feather boa. It’s time to dance.
Kate – Comparatively, the Talisker Storm is like an occasional smoker, whereas the Talisker Distillers Edition is like a pack a day smoker, and I just don’t need that much of it all up front when I don’t know them. Nose: Maple, brine, creamed honey, oak, toast, you can sense the sherry on the nose. I LOOOOVVVEEE the nose! Taste: Savory, iodine, brine, smoke, leather, tobacco, earthy, peppery. This is warm on the taste in a way that the Storm is warm on the finish. It’s like the smoker who has CLEARLY been smoking a pack a day for 30+ years. It’s a little too loud and abrupt and I want them to back off until we know one another better. The Storm is more like the light pipe smoker and I prefer that. Finish: Dry, smoky, leather, briny. The smoker has had his say and is sitting back, smug with themselves.
The palate takes you right to the seashore.
Henry – Honey, orange blossom, vanilla, and warm, toasty oak sweetness on the nose with only a hint of smoke. The palate takes you right to the seashore, with brine and smoke predominating. Finish is light but not curt, with brine and just a hint of sherry. At first, it really struck me as disjointed between the nose and palate, but as I savored it for a while, it really grew on me. This is a James Bond whiskey, very dapper with a dry martini in hand.
Ben – I think Talisker Distillers Edition goes together really well. It’s not like anything sticks out more than anything else. It’s all supposed to be together.
