Talisker 25yo 2004 Cask Strength

This was a truly flooring bottle that a friend recently snuck into a blind tasting I was a part of. This is the 2004 release of Talisker 25yo, bottled at cask strength. Talisker is one of my favourite scotches, so it was a serious treat to be able to try this. My friend was generous with his pours, so we all had plenty to sit and appreciate after we knew what it was.

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Distiller: Talisker
Distilled: 1979
Bottled: 2004
ABV: 57.8%
Age: 25yo
Cask type: “Refill Casks”
Setting: Blind (no prior knowledge)

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Nose: Caramel, sultanas, sulfurous dried apricot, wet wood, salt, cherry. A really interesting nose that I can’t place at all.
Palate: Peat, some hotness, wet wood, nutmeg. Full and mouth coating. Campfire and cream.
Finish: Trails into caramel, green wood, moss and red grapes. Not tannic.
Overall: An amazing whisky. Full, fruity smoke and caramel, with a wonderful creamy mouthfeel.
Rank: 9
Reveal: I did not pick this as Talisker at all. In the process of trying to guess what it was, I distinctly said “well, it’s not Talisker” (at which point the host lost his poker face and had to tell us what it was). In my defense, I had never tried any of the older Talisker offerings. This seemed far more fruity, far less maritime than the standard Talisker 10 I am used to. It is still one of the best whiskies I feel I have tasted, and the first I have ever given a 9 to in a blind setting.