What is Talisker?
Talisker is a single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Carbost, Scotland on the Minginish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. Talisker whiskies are notably known to have 2 particular features:
1) A medium peaty nature
2) A peculiar scent of salt
Talisker would be described as my main peated drink; I’ve been keeping a bottle of Talisker Storm at home exclusively for my personal drinking, but I’ve had the great pleasure of enjoying many a good Talisker dram over the years. This article reviews some more conventionally AND commercially available Talisker whiskies, as well as some more rare or vintage Talisker bottlings.
How did I find out about Talisker?
I’m not even kidding about this, but I found out about the distillery and whisky through this manga, Four Knights of the Apocalypse. Some of the antagonists are named after popular whisky distilleries, such as (Glen)Fiddich, Mortlach, and Ardbeg. Well, this antagonist is kinda weak, so let’s start with the weakest of the Talisker range:
Talisker 10
The Talisker 10 Single Malt Scotch whisky is the most common Talisker bottling on the market; it can be found in bars and is probably the most distributed Talisker bottle. It was the first Talisker I tried, I believe, during the 2022 Cellar Fiesta in July 2022, and it was a classic well-toned vegetal sweet peat with that tinge of Talisker salt. It was what convinced me to purchase the following Talisker Storm, on the promise that it would be twice as intense as this.
Talisker Storm
The Talisker Storm is a fantastic Talisker. With a thicker, more medium-ish body carrying with it more intense but tolerable peat, the same well-meshed vegetal sweetness, and the sea salt icing on the cake. Distinct flavours, probably not for the fainter of heart or peat non-enjoyers, Talisker Storm is still conventional, but less common dram for the sweet tooth looking for a peaty drink to end the night.
Talisker 11 Year Old (Special Release 2022) Whisky
This is a fine one. The Diageo Special Release 2022 Talisker 11 is a cask-strength Talisker that brings with it the full might of the sea, abundant distinct salty notes with well balanced peat and mellow sweetness mixing with spice.
Talisker NAS (Special Release 2023) Whisky ‘The Wild Explorador’
Talisker 1974 Tactical Douglas Laing
Check out some of my other Talisker whisky reviews here!
Review – Diageo Special Release 2019 Talisker 15y
Review – Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Talisker Tactical 26y 1974
Try Talisker Whiskies out now!
For beginners, Talisker whiskies are definitely a great way to be introduced to more moderate-heavily peated whiskies. You can find Talisker 10 available at many a bar, otherwise reach out to us and we can hook you up with a place to find a Talisker dram at a great price!
