Talisker 25 Year Old is a limited annual release from Skye's oldest working distillery, matured for a quarter of a century mainly in refill casks. Recent releases are bottled at 45.8% ABV.
About This Whisky
Until 2011, special Talisker releases such as the 25 year old were bottled at cask strength; since then they have been reduced to the distillery's usual 45.8%. The 2021 release was matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads and European oak refill casks. Refill wood gives up less colour and flavour than first-fill casks, which leaves room for the spirit itself: over 25 years its pepper and smoke soften and merge with dried fruit, chocolate and cedar.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Sea spray and gentle smoke, with dried fruit, cedar and a little citrus peel.
- Palate: Waxy and creamy, with sweet dried fruit, milk chocolate, pepper and soft peat.
- Finish: Very long, with cedar, smoke and a lingering salty warmth.
Serving & Food
Hold this for a quiet evening. Pour a modest measure into a tulip glass at room temperature and taste it neat before deciding on water. Good companions are smoked eel on rye, roast grouse, or a piece of well-aged Comté.
How to Enjoy
Talisker enthusiasts and anyone marking a 25th anniversary with a coastal, gently smoky malt.
Product Details
Distillery: Talisker
Country: Scotland
Region: Isle of Skye (Islands)
Style: Single malt Scotch whisky
Age: 25 years old
Cask: Ex-bourbon hogsheads and European oak refill casks (2021 release)
ABV: 45.8%
Volume: 700mL
About the Distillery
On 22 November 1960 a valve on one of Talisker's coal-fired spirit stills was left open. Spirit boiled over onto the fire below, and the blaze destroyed the still house. Rather than design something new, the owners rebuilt with exact copies of the five original copper stills, and the distillery reopened two years later. That decision is why Talisker's unusual still layout survives today. The old floor maltings, which escaped the fire, closed in 1972, and the same year the stills moved from coal to steam heating.