Talisker..  What more really needs to be said about this distillery or the whisky it produces  ?  This is such a well known distillery and a big favourite to many whisky drinkers, the standard 10 yo just seems to be loved by so many and hated by very few but when you start to talk about Talisker and aged whisky it just seems to light up most people’s eyes.. Last year I had the extreme pleasure of trying the 25yo which made me sit up and notice older Taliskers ( yes I admit to not loving the younger bottlings, it’s no secret! ) but the 25 was enough to make anyone want to try as much older Talisker as possible and so when I was given the chance to try this 30yo I just said ” yes please” with a rather big grin on my face..

This 30yo is from 2013 and is bottled at the usual 45.8 % abv and is one from 3,738 bottles released..

Nose.. Quite elegant with lots of fruit and delicate smoke that just softly wraps itself round your senses, candied orange, freshly squeezed orange juice, pears, winter berries, toffee and caramel all find a way to shine..

Palate.. Soft smoke leads you into a sweet fruit fest, oranges, peach, and a hint of cherries all evident, soft spices roll over the tongue with a subtle peppery note and soft oak giving this a very well balanced feel.

Finish.. Oaky but not long enough..

Thoughts.. I don’t need to tell you that this is good !! The balance is perfect, it is complex, elegant and far too easy to drink.. Gone are the harsh peaty notes found in the younger expressions ( my opinion) and replaced by a superior softer peaty note that just sends this whisky to another level..

My gratitude goes out to Colin Dunn (Ambassadorial superstar)  for this sample..