Talisker 5 Years Old 2008 Cask #DL 10039 (Douglas Laing)

This Talisker was from the independent bottler Douglas Laing, a 5 year old from 2008, drawn from cask DL 10039 and bottled at 50.7%. Just 413 bottles were filled. Talisker was opened at Carbost in 1831 by Loch Harport, beneath the Cuillin hills; for nearly two centuries it was the only distillery on Skye. Talisker is made by the sea, its character drawn from the wild Skye coast.

It was drawn off stills whose looped lyne arms and worm tubs build a rich, oily spirit, from peated malt, for a smoky, coastal spirit with a chilli kick. Ex-Bourbon casks held the spirit, soft oak that lets the peat and pepper lead. Younger here, it keeps a fierce peat and a clear chilli kick. Coastal warehousing gives the malt its mineral, sea spray lift. The peat is medium rather than heavy, leaving the smoke balanced and coastal. Talisker was for nearly two centuries the only working distillery on the Isle of Skye.

Bottled at a cask strength 50.7%, it is intense. A smoky, briny depth with a chilli catch sit over a gentle vanilla under the smoke. A maritime salt and a chilli warmth give it real punch. The finish is deep, oily and peppery. This is the wild maritime malt of Skye.