Talisker 25, 2008, Bottle 4543/9708, 54.2% abv.

Talisker 25s are an annual release with this one being part of Diageo's Special Releases 2008. Talisker uses moderately peated barley, with this bottling having been matured in American Oak and European Oak refill casks.

Nose: hints of yellow fruits, light citrus without the sour notes, slightly fresh fruity overall, backseat of smoke, herbal, nothing particular stands out.

Palate: slightly dry, a moderate smokey flavor, hints of grass and other floral elements, wood that intensifies with time, well balanced, middle of the road is the key word here. Pretty good.

Finish: short, leaves a boring tongue. What does that mean? I have no idea. I imagine it and it becomes true.

Although it felt well balanced, I think I missed the Talisker 25 cask strength experience. Everything seemed so subtle that perhaps I unconsciously missed after having the > 50% abv Glendronach and Laphroaig (or maybe I suck at tasting?). It was like the fruit was yearning to show its head, but something was holding it back. Which is another strange thing, why was there a good amount of fruit in a Talisker? Or did the peat transform itself into a fruity profile after 25 years? I don't think I'll ever know. That being said, I liked this one. It had some good variety and was the best of the night. Had this at Wonga Bar (원가바), Seoul, South Korea.

Grade: B

Whiskyanalysis.com, 8.99 ± 0.28 on 17 reviews
Whiskyfun.com, Serge Valentin, sgp:457, 91 points
Malt maniacs, Olivier Humbrecht, 93 points
Malt maniacs, Michel van Meersbergen, 90 points
Malt maniacs, Robert Karlsson, 81 points
Malt maniacs, Konstantin Grigoriadis, 86 points
Malt maniacs, Davin de Kergommeaux, 85 points
Malt maniacs, Ho-cheng Yao, 88 points
Malt maniacs, Peter Silver, 72 points
Malt maniacs, Krishna Nukala, 86 points
Malt maniacs, Luca Chichizola, 79 points

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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