Talisker 2000 Distillers Edition

So far, the few Distillers editions from Diadeo that I tried weren't bad at all. I already like Talisker a lot so I figured this just couldn't go wrong. Got this in a 20cl bottle for €15,-

Nose: a very full nose. Its like walking into a medieval hospital. Dark old wood, cellar musk, leatherpolish, Iodine, bandaid, Incence, tobacco smoke, smouldering coals, burnt sugars. With water some dark fruit like blackcurrant and brambles and creamy marzipan with dark chocolate. Quite a luscious nose.

Palate: clean and quick arrival with immediately the medicinal iodine, big wet peatsmoke, dates, roasted nuts, big black pepper, cloves and winterspiced cake. Very clear, distinguishable flavors, not muddy at all.

Finish: long with some sweet dark fruit, bitter chocolate, dry oak and some salmiak/liquorice.

In a blind test I could have mistaken it for a Lagavulin 16 or even a Laphroaig px. Its really medicinal and heavy on the dark wood/dry sherry/tobacco notes. The Amoroso casks must have been very active. I've never tasted the iodine so up front in a whisky not from Islay. There is no spring or summer in here, this is a winter companion and if you like westcoast Scotch with the sherry/peat combination this is a safe buy.

This is from the Talisker 3x20cl gift pack. Very similar to the Talisker 10 for the first part of its life before a quick finish in Amorosso sherry casks just to add an extra dimension. It's pleasant stuff.

• Nose: Chocolate oranges, tiramisu, sherry richness, quite nutty on the nose, also plenty of Talisker pepper and phenolic peat. With water bread dough, candied oranges, icing sugar, vanilla, butterscotch, a ncie sweet blanket over the maritime character of the whisky, plenty of contrast.

• Pallet: rich, spicy, chilli arrival like to 10, saw dust, earthy peat and maritime briny note, mocha and the nutty note from the nose, rich and chocolaty with bit wafts of smoke. With water sweet sherry, even a little bit of stewed tea, chocolate oranges, very light savoury coffee note, little bit spicy and a cheeky burst of phenols.

• Finish: moves quickly, starts sweet goes dry, then a healthy dollop of pepper and phenols, moving to nutty flavours then fades away with an after-thought of drinking chocolate. With water there is a little pop of smoke followed by a lull, then there is a second coming with nutty dryness, cinnamon, finally some salt pops in while the smoke lingers in the background, lasts well.

• Mark neat – 8.3, with water – 8.3.

This is almost a really really good whisky but in this particular case its just a little bit too sweet. The Talisker character is a little masked by the Amorosso finish. Perhaps, other batches have better balance, i'd definitely give it a go, but this one isn't quite the real deal.

Also I recommend being very scientific with the water it has a very nit-picky effect on the nose, too much water and it’s drowned (pallet and finish are still ok), not enough and it’s a too hot to handle.

I last reviewed an Old Malt Cask Talisker 10 Year Old; and our second Talisker is the 2000 Distiller's Edition. This was bottled in 2011 and is finished in Jerez Amoroso casks. While I was in Scotland I was fortunate enough to try the 2012 DE bottling - I'm sure it will be on our shores soon.

The colour is a quite dark gold, almost brown. The nose features a light gentle peat off the top, with rum-soaked raisins, oranges, grape and linseed oil. Cinnamon apple pie. Very nicely sherried nose. You get the wood but it's not overly oaky at all. Zings with hot pepper. Water brings out a citrus maltiness. Classic.

The palate is luscious, with more grape, apple pie, and dark fruits. The pepper is still hot and dances along the gentle peat smoke. Dark honey. Beautiful sherry notes here. Water brightens it up a bit - absolutely wonderful, with a lovely mouth-drying effect.

The finish is deep and rich, the oranges come back with more rum raisin, with perhaps the faintest hint of sulphur right at the end. Still, this is a terrific Talisker, better than the 2012 bottling I tasted in Scotland. Compared to the OMC 10yo, it is smoother and richer while still retaining that peppery Talisker spirit. This won Best Islands Single Malt at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards. And oh - but wait! I know have a "half Talisker" to review next time - so re-title this series to "Talisker x 2.5"

For Christmas my wife purchased me a whisky advent calender from Master of Malt, a calender of 24 different whiskies, from all over the world, different styles, different strengths, different ages.

I'd gone through almost every single sample, starting at ones I had ideas about, mild interest in, saving the best for last.

Two more whiskies to try, the ones that had me the most interested.

This sample was a Talisker, hands down at this time my favorite Scottish distillery.

A Talisker 2000 Amoroso Finish Distiller's Edition.

Now this is the distillery that I ALWAYS have at least ONE of their bottles in my cabinet at anyone time.

Something, anything Talisker is something that makes me smile.

So when I got home from work I cracked open the sample bottle and poured it into my glencairn and got down to the serious business of checking out my latest goodie!

A sexy, lovely nose that is immediately reminiscent of the Talisker 10 yr old, but with some more refinement that I expect out of the 18 yr old.

The first thing that hits is the peat and the pepper with a citrus aroma that evolves over the course of an hour or so. Underneath is tobacco and then a hint of ash tray that stays around. As the whisky's nose develops along a hint of mint appears, soft and sweet.

God I love Talisker. I honestly can't say that enough.

After about 45 minutes or so I decide it's time to take a sip!

It's beautiful and oily, coating the entire mouth and covering the palate with so many beautiful flavors.

A lovely blend of smoke and ash combines with a beautiful spiciness of pepper and nutmeg, with a beautiful sweetness of fruit jam underneath it all.

Have I said yet how much I love Talisker? Because I really do.

The finish is long, lingering with burnt caramel and pepper that goes on and on.

This whisky again reinforces my love of this distillery, and has brought home the fact that I'm going to be coming home from Scotland with bottle after bottle of Talisker to enjoy.

Even better this sexy is available in Australia for an easy going $120 or so AUS which is a stupidly good price for this sexy little whisky.

About the only fault I honestly have with this whisky is that I'd have loved to have seen it at cask strength, but that's ok, I'll be getting a cask strength Talisker pretty soon...

The only question remaining is will my wife murder me for picking up a bottle of this on top of the Talisker 57 North that I pick up tomorrow....

Talisker Distillers Edition (Distilled 2000, bottled 2011)

Talisker whiskey is created beside Loch Harport, in the “…jagged shadow of the Cullin range, on the Isle of Skye.” (from the Talisker website). The Distillers Edition is finished in Amoroso sherry Casks.

Colour: Chestnut brown

Nose: a strong sultana/Demerara-sugar sweetness, with a subtle smokiness and sea-salt

Palate: Rich, complex, and smooth; peat smoke, mellow sea-salt, sweet sherry notes, malt, honeyed-heather. Viscous, but not creamy.

Finish: Long; Turkish coffee, vanilla. Dry, a suggestion of sea breeze, and the delightful nip of Talisker pepper.

Final notes: adding a few drops of water opened up the whisky’s flavor profile, setting free the aroma of Turkish coffee, but I prefer to drink it neat. The sherry finish is nicely married to the sea-salt tang and creates depths that roll in waves of flavour on the palate; unfortunately, it was a special purchase by the B.C. Liquor Stores, and it will be difficult to find another bottle. I don’t see the sense in comparing this (favourably/unfavourably) to the 10 YO; rather, I think both expressions should be enjoyed as excellent offerings.