Review #91 - Talisker 10 Year

10 Year Highlander Series: Part 1 of 4

Yes, yes - many people would consider this an "Island' single malt, as opposed to a part of the possibly outdated SWA regulated 'Highlands' region. We needed a couple more 10 years to make a series, though, so we lumped in the island malts with them. Regions are a bit outdated as a whole, anyways - there are distilleries in every corner of Scotland producing every style of single malt, so let's not take the borders too seriously.

Talisker uses a medium peat level in their whiskies - around 20 ppm, though you'll find slightly varying levels according to different sources. Because of that amount of peat smoking, there should be a definite smoky characteristic in this malt, although it shouldn't overwhelm the other flavors. Being a mass-produced 10 year old, there is likely a significant portion of ex-bourbon cask aging here, too, so we'll look for baking spices and maybe some Highland heathery elements, along with a bit of the salt that this supposed to carry after it's 'made by the sea.'

Talisker 10 Year

Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 70 (2023)

Age Statement: 10 Years

Strength: 45.8% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 6 months; bottles at 40% and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: There's definitely some peat in here, not to strong, but also not too soft - it's sort of mild and musty, but it grows stronger with time. We do find a bit of truth in that 'made by the sea' reputation, at least on the nose: it's a bit briny, there's some sea salt here, almost a sandy beach, along with minerality. There's a tiny hint of a meaty note in here - maybe reminiscent of the worm tubs used in the production process? Then we move to fruit, mostly citrus of orange and lemon drops. The oak is mild, and we end with hard candy and some mild black pepper.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium, and it's oily and salty, a nice brine note. Peat is a little more green now, but there's also this underlying synthetic sort of wood smoke (think theatre smoke machine, sort of a sweet and chemically smoke). The orange and lemon citrus fruits are back, generally sweet, but there's also an interesting watermelon note, at least in one of our tastings. With more time, it gets more buttery and heathery, and that mild meaty note returns - dry rub barbecue, this time.

Finish: The finish is medium-long, in part due to that lingering peat, which is the longest-lasting flavor. There are others, though - more sweet fruits of lemon and orange citrus, some sharper wood smoke, a mild grassy note, and a very mild meatiness. All through the experience, the oak influence has been very mild, almost not even there.

Final Note: Nice, nothing special, but nice... possibly leaning a bit sweet for our tastes. The spirit is solid, but it's not particularly complex, although the savory note is nicely layered in there. Value is decent, not the best, although the prices are creeping up, in line with most of Diageo's products.

Our Average Rating: 6.8 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.62