Talisker: Skye’s Wild and Rugged Flavours - Justerini & Brooks

Skye has arguably the most beautiful landscapes in Scotland. On the way onto the island, you pass Eilean Donan, a castle known the world over from its movie roles in Highlander and The World Is Not Enough. The island itself is a collection of volcanic mountains that look like they have been formed by a prehistoric dinosaur that has run through, tearing pieces off mountains, and leaving jagged remains. Skye is one of the most visited islands in Scotland and it is easy to see why. From the minute you get onto the island to Neist Point, the Islands most Westerly point, all the way up to Rubha Hunish in the North, Skye is one jaw dropping vista after another. Located on the shores of Loch Harport is Talisker distillery, a must see for any whisky visitor to Scotland. Grab a bottle and take a short walk up the hill to the Oyster Shed. Talisker and Oysters sums this wild island and really brings to life this iconic distillery.

With over two decades in a combination of American and European oak, this exemplary dram has the true Talisker character we know and love - the earthy richness, warming pepper spice, sea salt spray and of course, woody smoke. Not only this, but it surprises us with notes of salted caramel, fresh nectarines, and chilli chocolate all the way through into that never-ending finish. Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson once said that Talisker was “The King o’ drinks as I conceive it…” - with this dram you can see why, perhaps this is his buried treasure.

For the collector looking for something truly special - Talisker 46-year-old. The oldest Talisker Diageo has released to date has rested in a single puncheon since 1976. Some of you may remember back then, the UK and surprisingly, Scotland, basked in a once in a lifetime heat wave which made the stills and our traditional worm tub condensers run hot, increasing the copper contact and in turn, stripped away some of the meaty sulphur compounds in the new make creating a more powerfully peppery, smoky Talisker. With maturity, the smoke has become far more subtle and integrated, but as I say to people, no matter what the age statement - this is still distinctly Talisker, and an outstanding one at that.