Talisker 25 Years Old (57.8%)

An official Talisker single malt, a 25 year old release and bottled at 57.8%. Just 21000 bottles were filled. Opened at Carbost in 1831 at Carbost on the Isle of Skye, Talisker is the maritime malt of Skye. The tall wash stills carry U shaped lyne arms with purifier pipes, and the spirit runs into worm tubs.

The spirit was made in tall pot stills with purifier loops and worm tubs, from medium peated malt, for a smoky, oily, peppery spirit. An Oloroso sherry cask wrapped the smoke in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Beyond twenty years the smoke turns gentle, the malt oily and deep with dried fruit and soft pepper. Long maturation softens the peat into a mellow smoke over the maritime spirit. Carbost is a tiny port on the wild west coast of Skye. The peat is medium rather than heavy, leaving the smoke balanced and coastal.

At 57.8%, undiluted, it is bold and smoky. The Oloroso brings smoked dried fruit and a nutty depth, and a maritime smoke with a peppery bite sit over light oak sweetness beneath the peat. A maritime salt and a chilli warmth give it real punch. A long, briny finish ends on black pepper. This is the maritime malt made by the sea on Skye.