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| Talisker 10 years Single Malt Scotch |
Beware of Bars
The first time I tried Talisker 10 years single malt scotch was in a fairly posh bar. You know. Ground floor of a hotel, adjacent to a fine steak house. It was dimly lit, dark wood panelling, leather wing-tip chairs, a long bar that was polished to perfection, behind which stood a smartly dressed bartender.
The evening was young and I and two other guys from work were exhausted. Drained from all day negotiations, the only order of the evening was to talk about anything, so long as it was not work. For a drink, I ordered Talisker 10. Never had it before. Expected a lot and was disappointed. Just tasted kinda like brine, sea water, pepper and smoke. I suppose it was malty and not poor to taste. But not stellar either. What happened?
Months and years later, subsequent tastings of Talisker proved far more enjoyable. This lead me to conclude that the bar probably had the bottle open for a long time. So, moral of the story: beware of bars. I have been in bars that purport to specialize in scotch whisky only to find many bottles with an inch of spirit left in them, sitting for a year or more resulting in a considerably diminished flavor profile. Oxygen is the enemy of whisky. Once you open that bottle, you're on the clock. Ideally, you want to finish the bottle within six months. I find that after the six month point you are pushing it unless the bottle is 3/4 full (in which case you have another 6 months to finish it).
If the bartender reaches for the whisky with two fingers left in it, I will tell him to drop it and get me a new one.
Nose (undiluted)
Refined smoke. Lemon bread. Very enjoyable.
Palate (undiluted)
Light bodied. Sweet malted barley followed by billowing smoke and banana. And finally the peppercorns appear.
Finish (undiluted)
Drying sea salt, slight dulse and brine.
General Impressions
Tired of the Speyside honey/cinammon flavor profile? If so, try Talisker. Very unique and at first might throw you for a curve, but you will think about it and come back for more. A classic if there ever was one.
I have noticed that upon opening the bottle, this scotch is quite peppery, but that quality is tamed by exposure to air. Taming this lion of a scotch is fine. He still has his claws, so long as you tame the bottle completely within six months! Highly recommended to novices and the serious scotch nut. Reasonable price too. Often can be found on sale too.
Cheers!
Jason Debly
P.S. For another review on this site conducted by a serious Talisker nut, click here.
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2011. All rights reserved.
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Very interesting the differing opinions I hear of this whisky. Sometimes I hear it's very dry-you find it has a sweetness. Some say the peat is at Islay level (at least at the bottom end?), you have not even said the word "peat" once in this review. Whisky is a most interesting creature!
ReplyDelete-Yochanan
Nice review! I'm a HUGE fan of Talisker. I love your note about the time limit upon opening a bottle, and though I've never noticed it before I'll start trying to pick up on the difference. (When I buy a bottle it rarely lasts for anywhere near 6 months, admittedly, but it never occurred to me that a bar would keep one that long.)
ReplyDeleteCurious if you've ever had Edradour, which I bought on a whim many years ago & found to be utterly foul. Strangely enough, I thought the aftertaste to be....um, fish. FISH. A Kiwi friend of mine suggested that perhaps I got a "duff bottle," (which I understand does happen) but I haven't been brave enough, or rich/brave enough, to find out.
Can I request that your next review be Edradour? On the bottle they claim to be the smallest scotch distillery, so perhaps there's a reason other than my appeal?
Yochanan -
ReplyDeleteI think of smoke when I consider Talisker. A rich, delicate smoke. Peat is not integral to this, at least in my mind. Peat bombs are the Laphroaigs and Ardbegs.
On your point about how Talisker is dry, it is true that there is a transition. It starts out sweet and eventually transitions to a drying sensation, though very subtle. That was an oversight on my part. But definitely it starts out sweet.
While Talisker is not an Islay, it is very similar to that region home to smoke and peat flavors.
Anonymous - I cannot review Edradour as it is not available where I live. I would suggest trying to sample it in a bar (where the bottle is pretty full!) and give it another go. I know all about trepidation in buying a bottle a second time when the first was terrible. Always remember that most liquor retailers will exchange a truly flawed bottle for something else.
Cheers!
One of the great all round whiskys. If you had no choice but to drink only this, it would not be much of a hardship.
ReplyDeleteHoward,
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
Hey Jason;
ReplyDeleteGreat blog you have here. You and maltmadness are my main references before I hit the liquor store. I find your taste preferences are close to mine. Anyhow, I noticed coincidentally the same phenomenon this weekend. While in the Kaninaskis this weekend (just west of Calgary) I tried a dram of Ardbeg 10 as it was new to me. It was absolute rubbish, worst ever. I concluded that they must have had the bottle for a long time.
Getting to my real point; I wonder if filling the top of the bottle with carbon dioxide might delay the oxidation and thus lengthen the life of a bottle. As it's heavier than air you could simply mix vinegar baking soda and let the resulting gas flow into the top of the bottle. What are your thoughts on that?
John, I do not know if the carbon dioxide trick will work. I think it would be better to move the whisky to a smaller bottle, which means less air exposure.
ReplyDeleteSome people add marbles to a bottle to increase the surface level, which again reduces the amount of air in a bottle. My preferebce is just to polish the bottle off within 6 months.
Thanks for posting.
I think I had a similar problem a couple weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI found a new local bar with a nice scotch selection. (good prices too!) And for the first time ever, I saw a bottle of Caol Ila 25. Well, the price wasn't absurd and the pours were generous. So I went for it! Caol Ila 12 is my favorite, so I really wanted to try this.
Unfortunately, it was only okay... The smoke was subdued and there was a lot more oak. This was to be expected for such an older whiskey. However, there was just an odd taste on top of it all. I can't explain it very well, but it just seemed flat. Kind of like when you pour too much water into a dram.
But anyway, after reading this review, it made me recall that the Caol Ila 25 was almost empty when I got it. And being one of their most expensive drams, I bet the bottle has been there a very long time.
Oh well, lesson learned. Thanks for pointing this out to me.
Eh Derek Mc, thanks for your comments. Caol Ila 25 should never taste flat! Something was definitely wrong.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Talisker is the malt that really divides opinion. I have plenty of family in the Sutherland, Moray region and they just cannot stomach it. The difference a few hundred miles can make is startling. Talisker is a robust dram, not a recommended starting point. I'm not a huge fan but I can see myself growing in appreciation. I'm going to the distillery on my never ending tour later this year. Looking forward to trying more of their range soon.
ReplyDelete