Talisker 8 Year (2020 Special Release)

I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am not a huge fan of rum casks. They are just too jarring to me to be balanced and in my opinion; good. But this is the mighty Talisker. Surely the 2020 special edition will deliver the goods… N: Wow, straight off the nose this is a sour sweetness like fermenting apples on the orchard floor. *A short while later…* Ok. Now that the initial sour-sweet overpowering nose has abated there is a delicacy to the sweetness that it imbued with sea side minerality, fresh seaweed, a lift of antiseptic, a stewed brown sugar and apple, and then the all important Talisker bonfire. The smoke is cool though, slightly distant, and wonderful. P: This is 57.9% ABV? I don’t believe it! Wow, that is gentle, soft, silky and mouth filling. If I could speak french in a dimly lit sexy jazz club in the 1920s then I think I’d have a similar mouth feel. The texture is beautiful. A darkening caramel and lovely oaky spice nudges its way in with a development of ash and stoney-granitic pebbles. The fruits of apple and banana-pineapple adopt the BBQ char and saltiness of bacon ends. The medicinal-iodine transfers to the edges of the palate. Black pepper builds through the entire profile. F: Long. Black pepper becomes a very prominent red chilli catch. Caramelised banana and pineapple are remnants of sweetness and the smoke fades to ash and briny embers. A couple of drops of water don’t do too much additive good, if anything the nose is muted and some nasal aggression makes its self known in the form of a generic burn, perhaps the minerality opens up though. The palate again is muted, this isn’t necessarily Talisker anymore its thin, the silky satisfaction has left me and I would be hard pushed to find any real character. This is no longer sexy, rather I’m now speaking Dutch (Babel says its the least sexy language - I don’t mean to offend anyone!). The finish with water is ashy and smoky. Well. There that is. I found a rum cask I can get behind. This is fantastic, blow off the powerful opening gambit and what is left is a craft strength powerhouse of texture and nuance with no real notion of the ABV beast within. Pass on the water and buckle in for a building chilli driven crescendo. Is the chilli a little out of balance by the end, perhaps, mais peu importe, je parle maintenant Français. This is now my yard stick to measure all other rum casks by. Touche Talisker, Touche. Distiller whisky taste #262 [Pictured here with an emerald-biotite schist from Western Australia. It’s late and I want to go to bed. The rock is old as buggery, the emeralds are green and pretty. Rocks are awesome.] Talisker running scores: T10: 4/5 T18: 4.75/5 Skye: 3.25/5 Port Ruighe: 2.75/3 Storm: 3.5/5 Dark Storm: 4.25/5 Surge: 4/5 57 North: 4.25/5 X Parley Wilder Seas: 4.25/5 T8 2018 Special Release: 4.5/5 T15 2019 Special Release: 3.5/5 T8 2020 Special Release: 4.25/5 T8 2021 Special Release: 4.5/5

Wow...two months since I’ve had any whiskey at all. Normally, I have a small 3cl pour every Saturday evening. But since months, I had lost interest. I always made it a point that during my bday, my wife’s, and my kid’s bdays or accomplishments I’d have a special bottle. So—-after 2 months, I cracked this open as a celebratory pour for my son’s bday. First thing’s first...and that’s the 800lb gorilla in the room regarding these Diageo Special releases and their pricing. Over the years, these young malts have crept up in price to rival a malt that’s in the 20s. And the only thing “special” about it has been a different finishing, or CS version. I’m a huge Talisker fan, so I did buy this , despite knowing I’m being fleeced $100 for a 8 yr old. I also bought the Lag special release, hopefully will open that another celebratory event. So, on to the pour itself. This year is a first for Talisker: it has a rum finish, and at CS version. I absolutely loved the 2018 version 8 yr old, so was hoping to love this as well. That rum finish becomes evident on the nose. You get the smoke and saline, but with a sweet undertone. Like smoky salted caramel. But, on the palette, I’m not getting the nuances...I’m just getting the standard Talisker brine and peat, just stronger than the standard 10. I’m guessing the finishing must not have been long enough, or 2nd -3rd fill. So...if you’re a Talisker fanboy, this is a must have, just for the uniqueness and CS version. It’s an excellent whiskey. At $100, it’s not breaking the bank, but let’s face it...you can get older whiskeys at the same price. This and the Lag special release are probably the hardest to get a hold of, just being price friendly, and unique enough. But If you’re not a Talisker fanboy, spend that $100 on an older more mature whiskey. For me, I love Talisker, so it’s a solid pour, and one I’d gladly buy again. If any of my standard buddies here are interested in a pour, let me know...I’m barely having a pour nowadays, so there’s no way I’m finishing a bottle anytime soon. Will gladly send over a pour or two, just cover shipping.

It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +7! Dec. 28, 2020 I tried this whisky side by side with my Talisker 10 to compare. Thanks for the sample @PBMichiganWolverine ! This is much lighter in color than the 10yr. Nose is meaty, I’d go with vinegar based barbecue or corned beef. Mildly sour, with vanilla too. The 10year is meatier, but you lose some of the complexity I find here. I prefer this nose. Body is oily and creamy, I get malt chocolate, cream, caramel, peanut butter. The flavors on the body are sweet, desert like, and muted in comparison to the finish. I think the smoked meat exists on the body, but it’s tough to notice compared to its presence on the finish. 10 year isn’t far off here on notes, but far less rich in flavor. That finish punches back intensely with brisket. It sticks around, and I dig it. Slight black pepper here, but the meat is the main star. Finish of the 10-year is nonexistent by comparison. It’s really fascinating to me that with less age and color (ie: effects from exposure to a barrel) you can get more intensity and complexity of flavor. I can tell this whisky is kin to the 10 year, but this one feels substantially more polished. The way they dialed in the body to finish experience is something truly special. I’d really like to know what techniques they use to pull this off, because while I more or less get the artistry behind bourbon making, the artistry behind scotch making is still a bit of a locked box for me. That said, I love this whisky, and I’ll know better in the future than to assume that older means better within a brand. Edit: I just read on PB’s review that this is a rum finish, and everything makes so much more sense now. I mean it. Everything. I think I learned C++ just by reading that. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!

Moving is hard. Can we agree on that? Moving across town is difficult, but moving states is a whole different ball of wax. Starting over. New job. New house. New commute. New friends. It all takes a toll. Fortunately, whisky is here to help. I recently completed a PhD program. Yes, that ivory tower snobbery has a grain of truth to it, but at the end of the day, getting a terminal degree is no simple task. It involves years of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. No to mention the lack of reasonable income while you pursue the degree. Fortunately I have a lovely wife who supports my career goals. As a celebration for completing the degree, we went to Scotland this past summer. Visited the Talisker distillery on Skye for our trouble (also experienced amazing hiking and seafood. Highly recommend). At the “rare and exclusive” tasting I attended, I got to sample Taliskers between 8 and 45 years old. Not bad, right? I ended up walking away with the eight-year-old special edition from 2020. It’s one of the only good things to come out of that year. Eight-year-old Talisker a cask strength with a lovely rum finish. It’s been open for about four months and I’m about a third of the way through the bottle. Invited a new colleague over to the house after work today for drinks. He is a peat fan so after a few dramas we finished with this. After it’s opened up in the bottle of The bottle a bit it’s damn near perfect whiskey. Classic Talisker brine and Chili pepper wrapped in a lovely envelope of tropical fruits. This may be the only situation in which mangoes and oysters work well together. I was able to still buy this is the distillery, but I doubt it’s still available anywhere except secondary. If you can find it I say it’s worth a mark up. It’s delicious and it helps you make friends cheers!

Nose - earthy peat, brine, rocky minerality, lemon meringue, iodine, sweet chili BBQ sauce, pineapple rind, vanilla, plantain, oyster, mignonette, white wine, powdered sugar, cinnamon, clove, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - lemon meringue, sweet peat, rock salt, pineapple, marshmallow, salted caramel, cinnamon, flint, smoked meat, vanilla cream, clove, iodine, chili pepper, grapefruit, cinnamon, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with lemon zest, sweet, briny peat, and rich tropical fruit flavors. Yes! This is how I want my Talisker to be. The nose is milder than I anticipated, but juicy, tropical fruit notes join that meaty, briny, peaty classic aroma I know and love. There’s a more pronounced mineral quality that conjures memories of shucked oysters with lemon and mignonette sauce. The palate is next level awesomeness. To say it’s mouth watering is an understatement. The rum finish is subtle, but adds a nice tropical juiciness not found in the core range. The smoky, salty, high proof arrival initially sucks the moisture from your mouth, which is then immediately quenched by juicy, citric fruitiness, only to be followed by the return of rocky, briny peat on the finish, drawing you back in for another sip. I need a bottle of this. Why didn’t I buy one when it released?! I thought for a good while about giving this a perfect score, but I think it just slightly misses the mark. Nonetheless, this is a phenomenal whisky that deserves your attention. If anyone has a line on one anywhere near retail, let me know. I’ve already spent a couple months’ worth of my liquor budget this past week, but would make yet another exception and add this to my collection. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the sample. This one is special.

Founded in 1830, @talisker is located in Scotland on the isle of Skye. Owned by @diageo, and was named by the original estate which was 5 miles west then the original village it was founded. They use steam heating which was converted in the 1970s, their stills produce approx. 3.5 million liters per year and they have unusual swan neck lye pipes. The dram of the night is the 2020 portfolio release of their 8 year old cask strength, but their very first rum finish single malt. Is the hype real? Review below: . . . . . . . . . Colour: straw gold - appears to be natural colour - initial aging showing American oak . . . Nose: sea salt, white pepper, banana, smoke, vanilla, youthful heat, iodine . . . Palate: Body: 3.75/4.0, sweet, smoky, salty. Nose charters following to palate . . . Finish: medium- long, wet finish, pepper and the heat from the youth pairs with the peat and smoke with soft sweetness. . . Overall: solid dram. A lot of young cask strengths are popping up and this one punches above its weight. Thankful canada received the 750ml bottling. Yeah it’s a top dram. Would we repurchase = yes , would recommend = yes. . . . Score: 92/100 LCBO price: $120CAD . . . . . #scotch #scotchwhisky #dram #whisky #whiskylover #whiskygram #whiskyporn #whiskey #whiskeylover #whiskeygram #talisker #taliskerwhisky #taliskerdistillery #lcbo #lcbofoodanddrink #love #happy #holiday #instadaily #instalike #singlemalt