Talisker 8 Year Old from Diageo's 2020 Special Releases, bottled at cask strength of 57.9% ABV. It was the first official Talisker to spend time in rum casks: after refill-cask maturation, it was finished in casks that had held Caribbean pot-still rum.
About This Whisky
Diageo's Special Releases have appeared every year since 2001, with each whisky bottled once in a limited run. The 2020 set was the first to bring in Caribbean rum casks, and Talisker was the youngest whisky in it. The spirit was first matured in refill casks and then finished in pot-still rum casks, which add brown sugar and tropical fruit to the salt, smoke and pepper. It was bottled at 57.9% without chill filtration or added colour.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Smoke and pineapple, with molasses, dry seaweed, sea salt and pear drops.
- Palate: Oily and peppery, with green chilli, sea salt, pineapple, brown sugar and a charred, meaty edge.
- Finish: Long and warming, with smoke, pepper and lingering rum sweetness.
Serving & Food
At 57.9% it is best with a splash of water, which softens the attack and pushes the maritime notes forward. Try it in a Glencairn alongside barbecued pork belly, jerk prawns, or grilled pineapple.
How to Enjoy
For fans of young, powerful peated whisky with a sweeter, tropical twist.
Product Details
Distillery: Talisker
Country: Scotland
Region: Isle of Skye (Islands)
Style: Single malt Scotch whisky
Series: Diageo Special Releases 2020
Age: 8 years old
Cask: Refill casks, finished in Caribbean pot-still rum casks
ABV: 57.9%
Proof: 115.8
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
Talisker's character starts in its still house. There are five stills, two for the wash and three for the spirit, which is an uneven pairing few distilleries use. The pipes that carry vapour away from the stills have a U-shaped loop, so some vapour condenses and runs back down to be distilled again. The vapour then passes into worm tubs, long copper coils cooled in wooden vats outside, rather than modern condensers. Together these give a heavy, oily spirit with the peppery bite Talisker drinkers know, even at eight years old.