Talisker 2007 Distillers Edition Review

It appears that a hidden desire exists amongst the whisky fanatic firmament: we all love us a nice peated whisky with a sherry finish. We love lots of other concoctions to be sure, but these smoky sweets do not show up often on the shelf. I seem to remember whisky writer Dominic Roskrow comment in a book somewhere that the marriage of the two styles is difficult to get right. I can see the point. They are iconic already without the other’s assistance. This might be because both are such flavor forward styles; one might outwit the other. But heavens to Betsy, when they come together well, that’s a Saturday night worth having, friend.

Today’s selection of Talisker’s 2007 Distiller’s Edition is one such attempt at the smoke and sherry marriage. This is a yearly release from the Isle of Skye distillery, and today’s was bottled in 2017. It mingled (or Double Matured, in this case) Talikser’s modestly smoky, maritime malt with Amoroso sherry casks: casks that held together oloroso and a sweetened sherry for a middle of the road dessert wine constitution. Bottled at the quirky 45.8% ABV and not without chill filtration and coloring, my fascination with this distillery grows ever more with today’s selection. On to it….

SWC Review

Nose- The ever familiar salty smoke, fragrant and rich. Sherried fruit of course with some green melon with toasted grain. Grassy, oddly. Baking spices.

Taste- Fresh and crisp. Heathery honey and vanilla rich. Tarry. On the thin side. Citrus.

Finish- Dark chocolate, smoke and black pepper. Bits of custard and charred oak.

Comment- Lovely indeed. Talisker has a way of holding our attention, today’s bottle was no exception. Nice grouping of flavors and aromas.

SWC Rating – 88/100