From Talisker Distillery, the oldest working distillery on the Isle of Skye, comes Talisker Skye, a young expression that embodies the rugged island and the distillery’s character.
Talisker Skye was released in Australia in 2005. The expression is bottled at 45.8% ABV and bears no age statement. It’s the fourth No Age Statement release in the range after Talisker Storm, Dark Storm and Port Ruighe. The single malt is matured in a combination of heavily charred refill American oak casks as well as a small proportion of bourbon casks which give the spirit a reddish coppery hue.
Talisker Skye Tasting Notes
- Region: Isle of Skye, Scotland
- ABV: 45.8%
- Nose: Soft on the nose, it starts with aromas of green apple and ripe pears and leads onto maritime notes of fresh seaweed and sea salt along with the classic Talisker smoke.
- Palate: The palate is medium-bodied with a soft sweet style that makes you question when the smoke will come through until it rewards with peaty notes at the end.
- Finish: The finish is rather short and sharp which is what you expect from a young whisky.
Talisker Skye is the third no age statement expression after Talisker Storm and Talisker Dark Storm and is not as heavily peated as other expressions in the range. The single malt is best described as smoky and sweet with a characteristic maritime character.
As an entry level Talisker, the whisky is well suited to cocktails such as the Talisker Blood Skye, a twist on the classic Blood and Sand with fresh blood orange, Aperol and sweet vermouth.
This article was originally published on May 13, 2015 on our sister website Gourmantic.