Whisky Review #2: Talisker 10 Year

I have had this whisky sat in the cupboard for a while, and for no particular reason, as it isn't expensive and it is a lovely dram.

I think really it is because it is a combination of both of these things: for one I didn't want to finish it as it was pretty darn tasty, and because it was relatively cheap meant I would often select something else from the cupboard.

Talisker 10 has a nose that just has smokiness bandied around willy nilly, like a smouldering peat throwing monkey is being contained within the glass. There are also hints of fruitiness, as though the monkey has been washed in an apple shampoo (obviously in a way that PETA would approve).

Festival paper cup dram

As it opens up, the monkey is released back into the wild leaving a more subtle peated fuminess, accompanied by sweet orchard notes and the lovely smells of the coastal seaweed.

The palate stays ashen: intense without being too overpowering. This time there is a light seasoning of peppery heat and a seaweedy saltiness, all carried along by a great barley chew.

The finish lingers with a gentle, sweet smokiness - like lying in a barley field having a little puff on a pipe.

For me, despite the peatiness it is still open for those less inclined to the sometimes astringent medicinal nature of other well peated whiskies. Priced at around £35 from Master of Malt it is a bargain.

Slainte,

Jim