Talisker Skye

An official Talisker single malt and bottled at 45.8%. Talisker, first built in 1830 at Carbost on the Isle of Skye, is a Diageo Classic Malt. Talisker is made by the sea, its character drawn from the wild Skye coast.

The spirit was made in tall pot stills with purifier loops and worm tubs, from medium peated malt, for a smoky, oily, peppery spirit. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, vanilla beneath the maritime smoke. No age is given, but the peppery smoke marks it as classic Talisker. Long maturation softens the peat into a mellow smoke over the maritime spirit. Founded by the MacAskill brothers in 1830, it is Skye's oldest distillery. The worm tubs build the full, oily body that carries the smoke and pepper. For most of its life Talisker stood alone on Skye, until Torabhaig opened in 2017. 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.

Reduced to 45.8%, it is mellow. A smoky, briny depth with a chilli catch sit over light oak sweetness beneath the peat. It is rich and smoky, the brine and oak well matched. The finish is deep, oily and peppery. This is the wild maritime malt of Skye.