Talisker 57º North (Current Label)

I reviewed the original label version of Talisker 57º North during the previous Taliskravaganza, three years ago, and found the stuff to be pretty awesome. I never got around to buying a bottle because its price had sailed over $100. The American TTB had approved the 57º North's label nearly four years ago, so I was also waiting for it to show up here. But it never did.

The 57º North's label got a design update, along with the rest of the range, in late 2012. That was right about the time that Talisker 10yo's quality started going downhill (in my opinion), thus I was even less motivated to buy the 57º. Thanks to Saint Brett of Riverside, I have a sample of the current labelled edition right here with me. Time to give it a try.

Distillery: Talisker

Ownership: Diageo

Type: Single Malt
Region: Isle of Skye

Age: NAS
Maturation: some version of American oak barrels
Alcohol by Volume: 57%

Chill-filtration? No
Caramel colored? Yes

NEAT
Its color is DiageoGold™, as expected. The nose starts off salty and remarkably fruity (honeydew, white peach and pear). Then vanilla bean, walnuts and lemons. A happy lack of ethyl heat. Ah, but the palate is very hot. Loads of ginger, peppercorns and cinnamon. It's very tangy with a sticky sweetness and some barrel char. The heat continues through the finish. It ends with vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, sweet citrus and woody bitterness.

WITH WATER (~45.8%abv)
It gets very cloudy very quickly. Eucalyptus and cocoa powder on the nose. Then wood char, pie dough and caramel sauce. The palate is desserty sweet. It's also loaded with black pepper and woody bitterness. An occasional mothball. Keeps coming back to the intensely sugary note that reminds me of lemon bars. The finish is sweet and woody, full of lemons and vanilla.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is an example of a whisky with an exceptional nose and an unexceptional palate. And a mediocre finish. This is likely due to two unsurprising factors: lots of oak and under-matured spirit.

New and rejuvenated American oak can produce a lot of rich bold smells, but it can't hide young whisky; instead, it becomes the pig's lipstick. So, while this whisky's nose displays more depth than that of the two 5yo indie Taliskers I reviewed last week, the palate feels as rough or rougher. Adding water doesn't help matters since it brings the wood to the fore. But, on the bright side, the nose is excellent.

American scotch enthusiasts don't have to spend over $100 to get 57º North from Europe, thanks to the weakness of the euro and pound. But still, it will set you back $80-$90. It's just not worth it, to me. I'd recommend seeking out the version with the old label instead.

Availability - Many specialty whisky retailers in Europe and Asia
Pricing - $80-$90 shipped from Europe, w/shipping, w/o VAT
Rating - 82 (the nose is the only thing keeping it out of the 70s)

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky (2013)

I have served almost 150 individual world whiskies at the private and public events I have led over the past three years. And you know what was, by far, the whisky that won over the most people? This:

A screenshot from a '90s softcore Canadian sex film

Lot No. 40. Yes, a Canadian whisky. A Canadian rye. Aside from all those new Lot No. 40 fans, we've sorta gone through a few bottles on our own here in Ohio. No whisky has vaporized at this speed at home since Willett held court.

Now, like most of you, I'm not a big Canadian whisky fan. Not a lot of Canadian whiskies get reviewed on this site either. The only Canadian whiskies I've ever recommended were an early-'80s distilled Canadian Club blend and Collingwood 21yo rye. The former read like a high quality Irish blend. The latter is liquid rye bread and only appeals to specific tastebuds.

But then there's Lot No. 40, which—as I have seen live many times—has broader appeal. The 2012 version of No. 40 put it on the contemporary whisky map, and you can find a number of good reviews of it online. (Here's Serge. Here's Sku. Here's MAO.) Alas, I am not reviewing the 2012 batch today. Instead I'm reviewing the No. 40 bottled in 2013. That's the one that I've been sharing and enjoying.

Brand: Lot No. 40
Company: Corby Distilleries
Distillery: Hiram Walker Distillery
Region: Canada (a big region)
Age: ???
Mashbill: 100% rye (10% of which is malted)
Bottling Year: 2013
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
Chillfiltered? Probably
Added Colorant? Also probably

There's a direct rye delivery in the nose, a fennel and mint combination that's almost absinthe-like. A soft floral (blossoms not perfume) note meets real maraschino cherries. Mint leaves become mint candies. Salty almonds and a gentle bourbon note. I give it more than 20 minutes of rest, pick up the whisky glass to give it a sniff and suddenly I'm waist-deep in a meadow of herbs. There there are moments of baked peaches and ground mustard seed in the distance. There's a pleasant, but not weak, minty spicy arrival in the palate. Some floral hints, reminiscent of young cognac. And creamy root beer. With 20+ minutes in the glass, the whisky keeps coming back to a mix of mint, black pepper and white sugar. A slight fizziness. It has a rye bite throughout, and it builds with time. The finish has fennel in the back and a soft bitterness in the front of the tongue. Root beer. Mint leaves. A melting sweetness.

This is a great drinking whisky. When enjoying it casually, I don't find all of those notes listed above. I mostly find, "Mmmmm." That's important. Lot No. 40 stands so far apart from all the 40% Canadian blends in quality and content—yet also a bit different in character than American ryes—that it's difficult to compare it to anything else.

Back when Lot No. 40 hit The States 4+ years ago, there was a lot of blog talk about Canadian whiskies being the next big thing. As far as fads and economics go, that never happened. Apparently there are a number of Canadian ryes of quality that never pass beyond our neighbor's borders, so perhaps potential comparisons await. Until then, this is without a doubt my favorite Canadian whisky.

Availability - Available at most specialty retailers 
Pricing - $35-$65, though Ohio had it for $33 not too long ago
Rating - 87

Talisker "Tactical" 26 year old 1974 Old Malt Cask

Like the whisky from yesterday's review, today's Talisker is a low-abv release from an independent bottler who couldn't use the distillery's name. I tried the two whiskies side-by-side. Yesterday's Talimburg was like a funky herbal liqueur, lessee what today's Tactical turns out to be.

Name: Tactical
Actual Distillery: Talisker

Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask

Age: 26 years (May 1974 - August 2000)

Maturation: an old malt cask?
Bottles: 292

Alcohol by Volume: 44.7%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No
Thanks to Cobo for providing the sample!

Its color is gold, darker than yesterday's 19yo. The nose is full of minerals and earth. Chalk, clay and salt. Apples and almonds. Dunnage funk. After 20ish minutes in the glass, the nose trends towards white grapes and peaches. After 30 minutes, vanilla bean and honey appear. The palate starts with lots of baking spice: cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. More pepper than smoke. Briney, with some horseradish. After 20ish minutes, it picks up mint leaves. The brine and horseradish turns into a zesty herbal bitterness. After 30 minutes, it gets toasty, with a gentle toffee sweetness. The finish stays fruity throughout. Sometimes fruit cocktail, sometimes tart limes. Toffee, mint and a light bitterness.

Though I do like the 19yo Talimburg's herbal liqueur style, this 26yo Tactical is more my jam. The herbal notes are there, but so is an impressive amount of minerality (on the nose), sweets and spice (on the palate) and fruit (in the finish). The complexity dazzles considering the low abv, so thankfully the angels didn't steal all the good stuff. If you have a bottle of this release stashed away, Mazel Tov. It's a great one.

Availability - Happy Hunting!
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90

Talisker "Talimburg" 19 year old 1986 The Whisky Fair, cask 1485

I'm going to stay with the whole Indie Talisker theme this week. Today's item is a bit of a dusty dram bottled by The Whisky Fair (from Deutschland) back in 2005. At 45.9%abv, it may have been diluted to approximately 0.1% more alcohol by volume than the official Taliskers. Or the angels snorted nothing but C₂H₅OH out of this cask. Because Diaego/DCL/SMD often did not allow 3rd parties to use Talisker's name on bottlings, The Whisky Fair put a little German twist on the name, calling it Talimburg.

Name: Talimburg
Actual Distillery: Talisker

Independent Bottler: The Whisky Fair

Age: 19 years (May 1986 - June 2005)

Maturation: bourbon hogshead
Cask number: 1485
Bottles: 252

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered: No
Colored: No

Thank you to Cobo-san for providing this sample!

Just to note, I tried this whisky alongside the whisky I'm reviewing tomorrow.

The color is a nice simple amber. Oooh, lots of old dunnage funk, hot tar and burnt plastic on the nose. That somehow totally grooves with the golden raisin and dried apricot notes. Then lemongrass/citronella. With 30+ minutes in the glass, the whisky issues a barley/bran cereal note, as well as some butter. Like the nose, the palate starts with aggressive dirty funky stuff. Then mint leaves and Fernet-Branca. Brown sugar and cinnamon. Ink. It's herbal as all hellfire. It's like a bitter herbal liqueur with a little bit of tar and cinnamon blended in. It finishes very herbal as well, with ink, salt, and tart and tangy lemons.

Whew, this is a brisk, crisp, sharp thing, unlike any whisky being produced now. It'll put hair on your ears. Or, in some cases, MORE hair on your ears. The palate is devoid of oak, yet is not immature; it feels like it was actually aged instead of having more wood thrust into it.

Phrasing!

I don't know if there are any unopened bottles of this stuff left on the planet. If you do have one, or one pops up in an auction, you can also take a look at Serge's review and the Whisky Monitor. My opinion is this is a whisky for a very specific palate. If you like funky, salty, herbal bombs then this Talimburg is for you.

Availability - Happy Hunting!
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86

Taste Off: A pair of 5 year old Taliskers bottled by the Laings

Let's go down to Tiny Talisker Town.

What I have here are a pair of whiskies with the following aspects in common:

• Distillery: Talisker
• Indie Bottler: The Laing family (Langside Distillers / The Laing Whisky Company)
• Age: 5 years old
• Cask: refill hogshead
• Exclusive to: K&L Wine & Spirits

Long time readers may remember that I have reviewed The Speakeasy Talisker before. I've grumped a number of times about indie bottlers rushing to bottle immature whiskies, but I found the five year old Speakeasy to be quite good. So I decided to give another try, alongside the next baby Talisker cask selected by K&L, a 5yo 2009 from the Hepburn's Choice label.

---

Distillery: Talisker

Independent Bottler: The Laing Whisky Company

Age: 5 years (April 2008 - November 2013)

Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask number: 8
Bottles:  345

Alcohol by Volume: 58.2%
Exclusive to: K&L Wines
Chillfiltered: No
Colored: No
(Sample taken from my bottle)

NEAT
Its color is a very light amber. The nose begins with mezcal, lemons, oranges and wood ash. With some time it transitions to mint leaves, burnt barley and lemon cake. The palate is peppery as heck. Chili powder. Smoky cocoa powder. Lemon candy and clover honey. It finishes with honey pepper hot sauce, lemons and mossy peat.

WITH WATER (~45.8%abv)
The nose gets very floral (blossoms, not perfume). There's a ham, honey, saltines and yeast. It fades pretty quickly though, leaving behind a single broad smoke note. The palate is sweet and spicy. Simple but balanced. Mezcal, barley and honey. The finish balances light sweetness, pepper and smoke, getting sweeter with time.

---

Distillery: Talisker

Independent Bottler: Langside Distillers
Range: Hepburn's Choice

Age: 5 years (2009 - 2015)

Maturation: refill hogshead
Bottles: 281

Alcohol by Volume: 59.5%
Exclusive to: K&L Wines
Chillfiltered: No
Colored: No
(Sample taken from a whisky event bottle)

NEAT
It may have the lightest color I've ever seen on a whisky. It's almost clear. The nose is super vegetal with plastic and rubber band notes. But it also has molasses, mesquite chips, tequila and apricots. The palate has a spritely balance of veg, pepper and white fruit sweetness. Some mint and mossy smoke as well. Plenty of heat in the finish, along with peat smoke, black pepper, pretzels and charred veggies.

WITH WATER (~45.8%abv)
The nose picks up some grilled meat notes, more moss and more rubber. It gets coastal and farmy too. The palate is minty, salty, peppery, sweet and charred. The finish is very peppery with lighter smoke and sweetness. Cigarette smoke.

---

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My opinion of The Speakeasy remains unchanged. It's a brash young whisky that will appeal to mezcal fans and peatheads. In addition to its fiery character, the whisky makes for a decent drink. It's one of the better low-oak super-young whiskies I've had. That being said, I'm glad I split this bottle with friends because I don't think I could have kept up the enthusiasm for an entire 750mL.

The 2009 Hepburn's Choice comes across even rawer and younger than The Speakeasy. In fact its color gives a pretty good hint as to what one should expect. It's probably as close to Talisker new make as a non-Diageo employee will be able to try. Even though it blitzes the palate, it's less abusive than the 46%abv 6yo Ardmore I reviewed two weeks ago. And it's more complex and enjoyable, compared to that Ardmore.

But, The Speakeasy wins the day here. It feels more like a mostly-complete product than immature spirit chosen for bottling because......well, I don't know why the 5yo cask was selected for a retailer by Langside. I don't understand why it couldn't have been left to cook for another 5-7 years. As referenced above, it's absolutely NOT bad whisky, but it still feels a bit like a stunt. Perhaps the hope was Speakeasy the Sequel. It's not, though it does provide a quick peek into Talisker's spirit.

Talisker 5yo 2008 The Speakeasy
Availability - sold out
Pricing - $60
Rating - 84

Talisker 5yo 2009 Hepburn's Choice
Availability - sold out
Pricing - $50
Rating - 78

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Forgotten Roses (Four Roses) Bourbon

BARD Friday returns with......a thing.

First, the story! I will protect the names of certain individuals and companies because I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Though one company's name is clearly in the post's title. And the anonymous's identities may be easily deduced with some research, but I'm going to roll with the secrecy because it's like midnight here and my brane is tyred.

My brother in-law's brother in-law (no not me, the other one) knows a girl who knows a guy who works at a well-regarded well-distributed independent brewery. Said brewery does the occasional barrel-aged stout. Sometimes they get their barrels fresh from Four Roses distillery. Recently, as per my source, "some of the barrels had some whiskey still in them which had secreted out of the wood after they were emptied." The fellas at the brewery siphoned out the leftovers and got at least a full bottle of whiskey out of it.

This resulting bourbon was 142 proof. Just a liiiiiiiiitle higher than 4R tends to go. I imagine that crazy levels of oxidation and absorption were the factors behind the super proof.

Anyway, my sources, let's call them Awdoo and The Money Man, sent me 2.5 ounces of this forgotten fire nectar for gits and shiggles. Thank you very much, Awdoo and The Money Man. Time to review the barrel juice.

"Forgotten Roses" 71.0% alcohol by volume

As you can see above, I separated this sample into two glasses. One remained at full strength, the other was reduced to 50% abv (BIB strength, 4R Single Barrel strength, etc.).

Full Power:

NOSE -- It smells like bourbon. Lots of charred oak and caramel. A little bit of corn and marzipan. A combination of cinnamon and orange candies. It can be on the perfumy side at times, but that note keeps transforming into honey. With a lot of air, sugar and leather are outted.

PALATE -- Minty with lots of spicy woodstuff. Brown sugar and barrel char. It's hot, but nowhere near as hot as anticipated. Here the perfumy side drifts into tangy fruit. Air brings out bitter oak.

FINISH -- Lots of barrel action. Think char and wet cardboard. Pinches of spice, bitterness and soap. It does have a good mild sweetness though.

And then:

Diluted to 50%abv:

NOSE -- Sherry and shoe polish. But mostly shoe polish. Butt sweat. I'll let you figure out if that's sherry shipping "butt" or not. Raspberries and vanilla.

PALATE -- Nutrasweet. Earthy, grassy, sooooooooooooooooooapy. Spicy burnt socks.

FINISH -- Fruity and sooooooooooooooooooapy. Carpet vomit.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As with Mogwai, don't get this whiskey wet. Somehow in all its unusual oxidation, it may be at peak form as is. At 71%abv, it's perfectly recognizable, drinkable, enjoyable, a bourbon I'd be happy to consume again. Its finish is the trouble spot that keeps it earthbound. But because I had expected the finish be like the receiving end of Hacksaw Jim Duggan's 2x4, I'd say this was a reasonable success, overall.

And then I added water. And then I died. And then I was arisen. And then I drank it all. And then I didn't sleep because the air was bleeding.

Thanks again to Awdoo and The Money Man. And hopefully everyone is alive and well at the beer-making place after consuming the bottle's contents. Happy Friday!

RATING: Gone but definitely not forgotten

Single Malt Report: Talisker 2006 Distillers Edition (2016 bottling)

Yesterday I reviewed the 2009 chapter of Talisker's Distillers Edition and it was.....eh. Especially when compared to the current (2016) version. Which I did. Good sentences on this post.

See below for the second half of the Talisker DE Taste Off. The 2016 Edition doesn't have an age statement as usual, but this time it's entirely possible the whisky isn't a full ten years old. Nonetheless, it's not bad.

Distillery: Talisker

Ownership: Diageo

Type: Single Malt
Region: Isle of Skye

Age: 10 years or less (2006-2016)
Maturation: refill ex-bourbon casks for ??? years, then a brief finish in ex-Amoroso casks
Alcohol by Volume: 45.8%

Chill-filtration? Yep
Caramel colored? Also Yep
(Review from purchased sample)

Its color is DiageoGold™. The nose starts off with the same soap note as the 1998, but it fades quicker, thank goodness. There's more char and vegetal notes in this one. Burnt nuts, mesquite chips, BBQ ribs, tar and band-aids. It also has a sugary side to it, with caramel and buttery dough. In fact, one nostril picks up more sugar, the other gets more smoky stuff. After 30+ minutes there are some dry sherry cigarette notes as well. The palate is big on savory. Roast beef, Vegemite and smokiness that grows with time. There's also a bit of sweetness that stays in balance with the savoriness. Candied stone fruits, black licorice and a cherry + BBQ combo. Some zippy moments of fresh ginger and wood spice show up after some time. Its finish delivers a bigger bite than the '98. Wood smoke, fresh ginger and black licorice. Gumdrops, though at 1/10th the sweetness. A little bit of savory and salt.

Well, not everything used to be better than it is now. This current version of Talisker DE is more complex and well rounded, while delivering a bigger punch, than the 1998-2009 version. Though, to be honest the 1993-2007 Edition remains my favorite so far. One kinda forgets this one almost immediately after the finish fades. Anyway...

If you're standing at the whisky store, looking at the different blue Talisker boxes, I'd recommend this over Storm and Skye. It may even top some recent batches of the 10 year old. On the other hand, it's not worth $75+ IMHO. It's a B-grade whisky that's neither old or scarce. You can find it for a (comparable) song at some Netherlands retailers, though.

Availability - (this edition) Many speciality liquor retailers
Pricing - (this edition) $65-$95 in the US, $45-$80 in Europe
Rating - (this edition) 86