While the focus is now more on the port-finished Talisker Port Ruighe, we’re trying Talisker Storm, another new member of their family. Two new expressions in just a few months, and a makeover of the packaging, a Talisker boost!
Talisker Storm is assembled from rejuvenated and refill casks, containing spirit of different ages (nowadays called “multi-vintage” which sounds so much better than just NAS).
Talisker ‘Storm’
(45,8%, OB 2013)
Nose: I don’t really like the first impact. It’s got a mix of butter and overripe berries. But it gets better, with more coastal and medicinal notes. A bit of trademark pepper but it never seems to express the classic Talisker character. Ginger. Some smoke.
Mouth: a mixture of ripe fruity sweetness, lots of roasted malt and maritime notes (brine and seaweed). Slightly earthy and oaky. Pepper and ginger again. Tiny hints of vanilla and burnt grass.
Finish: medium long, with a pepper & salt combo and lingering soot.
It’s a funny mixture. You can feel younger components, with more peat, more spices and more oomph than in the standard 10. I’ve tasted more of this than I do for other reviews, trying to grasp it, but I’m still not sure whether the rejuvenated casks story was an experimental quest for quality or just a way to sell younger spirit from depreciated casks. Around € 45.
Score: 80/100