Maker: Talisker, Carbost, Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK (Diageo)
Region: Island
Style: Peated single malt, finished in amorosa (cream) sherry casks
Age: 10-11 y/o (distilled 2002, bottled 2013)
ABV: 45.8%
Michigan state minimum: $81
Appearance: Light copper.
Nose: Peat, old oak, roasted almond, vanilla, lemon meringue.
Palate: Medium-bodied, medium sweet, creamy. Custard, toffee, apricot.
Finish: Big and ashy. Fireplace with a nibble of toffee.
Parting words: Back in 2014 I reviewed Talisker Storm and I liked it a lot, but I thought it was “by the numbers” with little in the way of surprises. The Distiller’s Edition does have some surprises up its sleeve. I’m not a fan of sweetened cream sherries as beverages but their casks do good things to peaty whisky! Talisker DE is complex and rounded in a way that Storm and the 10 y/o aren’t. It’s more than worth the extra $3 over the Storm (which I still do enjoy). It’s a Talisker suitable for after-dinner sipping in the living room, while Storm and the 10 are post-snow-shoveling malts, if that makes sense. This is an older vintage but I don’t think much has changed since 2013. Talisker Distiller’s Edition is recommended.
Sipology 