Talisker 8 Year (2021 Special Release)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #6 Nose: Bracing, uplifting smoke – large in quantity but light of touch. Flints, seashore pebbles, drying seaweed, the petrichor of sweet rain washing away seaspray, green apple skins, freshly shucked oysters, smoked white fish with fennel. The addition of a little water brings out kalamata olives in white vinegar, and a good dash of water unveils sauvignon blanc aromas. Palate: Initially sweet but austere and highlighting smoky salted lemon, the palate quickly develops with great finesse. The omnipresent smoke is soft but assured and has an unmistakable maritime quality. Lemon rounds sprinkled with sea salt grilling beside sea bass drizzled with unripe pineapple juice. Soft fresh cereal flavours peep through. There is a stony, mineral aspect that balances a blend of hazelnut milk chocolate, water chestnuts, pepper and a very restrained pinch of chili. The texture is crisp but also full and satisfying. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet grains and mild smoke with a return of light citrus in the aftertaste. This whisky is like a precise surgical tool, a master-crafted rapier, a shimmering flawless-cut topaz or a Rothko painting. In comparison, the vast bulk of whiskies are mere blunt instruments. It has an achingly beautiful light maritime nose and taste that is solidly smoky but sufficiently restrained to allow other aromas and flavours to shine through. Like a delicate chiaroscuro modulating the brightness of an antique portrait, it achieves incomparable integration and yet is only 8 years old. This is formidable whisky making. It can also swim like a dolphin and whilst enticing in neat form, with water it becomes almost too easy to quaff and there is at no time any sign of rubber or plastic regardless of the degree of dilution. It just gets easier to take and a fraction sweeter. Interestingly there is virtually no sign of the expected Talisker “chili catch" – in fact none at all really. There is a light hot spice note, but in comparison to any other Talisker under the age of 25 it is exceptionally mild. You might expect a clean, crisp whisky such as this to be highly distillate driven but I don’t think that’s the case here. It was matured in heavily peated refill casks which I believe acted as neutral containers with a filter, extracting all the harsh elements and heavier congeners and rendering the whisky sparkling clean and fresh after 8 years. Consequently it could be thought of as highly cask driven, but not in the usual additive manner. As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this whisky and nearly bought a bottle, however I had already decided on different purchases. It was one of my equal three favourite whiskies of the night and at the price it is remarkably good value. A lot of the participants at the tasting voted for this as their favourite whisky of the night. Highly recommended. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Aside from being a huge fan of Talisker 10, I figured I had to own a bottle of the 2021 Special Release T8 if only for the most metal bottle art in existence. Talisker is undeniably a spirit of the unrelenting ocean but they doubled down with the sea fury art work. It doesn’t disappoint, the sea fury in all its leviathan glory tells you exactly what you are in for when you pour a dram of this. N: Powerful yet soft. Sitting in the glass there is a looming presence that holds your attention. Drawing in closer there is gentle sweetness from vanilla ice cream that melts away into juicy pear and a little ocean spray. Smoke is wafted along as a faint suggestion of a bonfire far down the beach. I have no notion of the almost 60% ABV held within. As I sip this briny oysters and white wine aromas come out. Incredible. P: This lulls you in, initially salted and vegetal with delicate honey and stone fruit you feel safe and somewhat underwhelmed before a wave of pepper and brine and light smoke torrent to the front of the pallet and drag you into the depths. The Sea Fury has indeed taken hold and wants to see how you measure up. What depths there are. If you regain composure under the crashing waves; candied bacon, baking chocolate, and an earthy mineral quality are there to be found. This is a liquid crafted from the elements, there is no doubt of that. F: Here is a long finish that changes from chilli and pepper into soft bonfire smoke, toffee and maltiness as the tempest’s fury is calmed ready for the next approach. Comparing to the T10 the nose is similar but gentler, refined and initially calmer. I think though that may sound less appealing to those who love T10 but there is a captivating element here that holds the attention as if something dark and foreboding lingers under a darkening ocean. The Sea Fury lies in wait. The palette is remarkable, layered and complex with new notes emerging that elevate the spirit to a new level of both intensity and nuance. This was expertly crafted. The crispness is as enjoyable as stepping onto a thick blanket of freshly laid snow. Crunch. The cleanliness of delivery, masterful. The power is that of the ocean. At just shy of 60% this beast can take some water, everything becomes lighter, brighter but without any sense of diminishment. Coming from the shores of, what was ~60 million years ago a violent and massive volcanic eruption, the basaltic lavas that comprise much of central and northern Skye, and indeed the ground upon which Talisker sits, are a constant reminder of the violence and aggression of nature; just like the ocean that flows into the Loch and laps the coast. This special release is the embodiment of natures fury but tempered by expert craftspeople into something that is tameable, approachable, and fundamentally enjoyable. Distiller whisky taste #74

Sometimes we take a risk... Nose - young spirit without any doubt. Vanilla, peat, butter scotch, raw malt, a HINT of talisker spice but barely any. Overall, new make forward with a good bit of peat, but without any off putting elements at all. It's a clean new make in the sense that we don't have issues. Maybe a very narrow cut to off set some of these issues? Taste - See the nose for a lot of the flavor. However, we get with it a rich viscous mouth feel. Mouth coaching and creamy. Tootsie roll vanilla with butter scotch. Good salt levels and yes hints with water of the talisker spice and with water you START to get a BIT of talisker fruity malt elements. Ultimately, the value in this is the creamy mouthfeel and the bold flavor. Is it more peated than most talisker? Honestly, I'd have to compare this with something else at CS but I get more salt than modern talisker but peat? Smoke? Honestly, it's just more salty and rich. Maybe the alcohol is killing out the peat? I'm torn on where to score this. A part of me objectively thinks this much still young malt is a bad thing. I however don't dislike it, it's actually making me think of a good Lagavulin 12 weirdly enough. Not as royalty peated but the level of vanilla and mix of still without it being offensive or even slightly off putting. Overall, It's good whisky, it's bold, it's rich, it's full flavor, it's HUGE bodied....but it's 120 bucks. And I've not sold myself on this for 120. 2.25 on this one. You might talk me into a higher score. Let me know your thoughts. As for a buy? I really wish this was 80, but I also am thinking about Lag 12 which I think is a buy for 120 all day. I'm torn...so if you're digging these notes, get it. If you have any questions, I'd just pass.

On the nose pear-lemon hard candy. Creamy vanilla. Salty. Peat smoke - but more smoke than peat. There is something slightly herbal/vegetal. The palate is largely the same. Vanilla, salt, lemon and pear, pepper, soot, smoke. The finish adds a bit of dark chocolate and seashell. I prefer with a few drops of water, as it's a little hot at nearly 60%. It does come across as slightly smokier than the 10 year, but it may just be because the higher proof makes all the flavors more pronounced. It seems on profile for a Talisker. As a fan, I find this to be quite enjoyable. What's not to like about a cask strength Talisker?

There is no right or wrong when it comes to taste, but the hate and confirmation bias this expression received really puzzled me, and I beg to disagree. Surprisingly peaty, briny and mineral, the nose features an intriguing mix of lime juice, aniseed and herbal teas. Sugary and vanilla-driven at first, the palate progresses with white pepper, crisp apples and bitter lemon. Ashy peat smoke, salt and a touch of chili arise, leading all the way into the long and interesting finish. This is a characterful and complex whisky emphasizing everything Talisker stands for! RATING: 4.2/5.0 stars ≙ 89 pts → FIRST-CLASS [+]

Sweet like molasses Didn’t have quite the same long finish as the 2020. I couldn’t pick up on much (maybe cuz this was no. 6 of the night?) and was generally unimpressed.