Talisker Distiller's Edition 1992

Talisker Distiller's Edition 1992

Spotted this gem on a shelf in a liquor store in Massachusetts a couple of weeks ago and grabbed it for $72.  These older brown label Talisker Distiller's Edition bottles are usually good. This one, distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2005 was a particularly nice example. It was the first year they started doing the second maturation in Amoroso sherry casks and it's no surprise they stuck with this technique and are still using it today.

Tasting Notes


Nose:  Very red wine sort of nose.  Blind I might have mistaken this for one of the wacky Glenmo barrel finishes. There's very little of the trademark Talisker salty sea air.  But there's a whole lot of rancio in it's place!  It's very bright and tangy with medium alcohol present and the sweet and ripe smell of berries and rose water.

Palate: We're moving into an orange marmalade thing on the palate and the medium mouthfeel is driving the jammy point home.

Finish: The finish is sort of unremarkable if well-balanced. The smoke does make an appearance.  You don't really taste it, but it floats in at the end and leaves you with some of that classic Talisker pepper and 'day-after-beach-bonfire' sensation.


Review

These brown Talisker Distiller's bottles are a cool find.  They're still around, and aren't marked up or anything the way errant bottles of bourbon tend to be these days. This one was really a treat. Very big sherry influence for a Talisker and the salt and hints of smoke were buried deep in there.  Considering that the bottle is already gone, we'd say it was popular with the troops!

Cheers/SB

P.S. any requests for our next reviews?  Y'all have been pretty quiet lately, let us know what's popping!