tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post6413036853746658226..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Taliskravaganza! Day 1: Talisker 10 year oldMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-66714442922743095312014-03-07T15:55:06.164-05:002014-03-07T15:55:06.164-05:00I've never actually seen one of the Map Label ...I've never actually seen one of the Map Label bottles in The States, though I've been told they exist. Do you know when they switched over to the non-map labels?Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-67593891557995733522014-03-07T14:31:39.334-05:002014-03-07T14:31:39.334-05:00Look out for some old Map Labels in Europe... mayb...Look out for some old Map Labels in Europe... maybe on Ebay.co.uk, maybe some other online plattforms. I recently bought some of them for around $100. I know, as I always tend to hear... who's paying 100 bucks for 10yo whisky? But then again... they are worth the money ans still affordable. I'm sure this will change very soon :(Cobohttp://www.whiskybase.com/profile/6211/collectionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-51877936028155799662014-03-07T00:41:28.491-05:002014-03-07T00:41:28.491-05:00Wow, my last sentence reads much differently than ...Wow, my last sentence reads much differently than I'd intended. How about: "I'll leave it to someone less pissed at Diageo than I to answer that one." That's better.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-64786427395420696932014-03-06T16:55:43.629-05:002014-03-06T16:55:43.629-05:00And as for what Diageo could gain by flubbing Caol...And as for what Diageo could gain by flubbing Caol Ila? I'll leave it to someone less bent over Diageo crap than I to answer that one. :)Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-91320496576343187942014-03-06T16:53:14.497-05:002014-03-06T16:53:14.497-05:00@Florin - I'm wondering pre-2011 bottles are t...@Florin - I'm wondering pre-2011 bottles are the way to go. As per the SWA reports, whisky export volumes went up 19% in 2011, so there's the demand jump. I know it's a big generalization, but I've been thinking that's the place to start.<br /><br />I wonder who's paying $65+ for this new Talisker 10? Old fans who paid much less for better stuff probably aren't. Must be new consumers.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-25259679849931210652014-03-06T16:44:20.230-05:002014-03-06T16:44:20.230-05:00I'm glad someone else found the sherry notes t...I'm glad someone else found the sherry notes too. Some of those tri-packs are from several years ago. If you have the one with the 57 North, then it's 2008 at the earliest. As Florin mentions below, in 2010 the 10yo was still very good.<br /><br />As per the SWA's reports, whisky exports had their real big boost in 2011 so perhaps that's a good starting point knowing demand increases and thus less usage of old stock in younger whiskies. Again, that increase doesn't take into account individual distilleries or brands. But I'm beginning to wonder if pre-2011 bottles are they key in general.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-64710088084615794512014-03-06T13:22:43.400-05:002014-03-06T13:22:43.400-05:00I don't want to give them any ideas, but there...I don't want to give them any ideas, but there's a lot that could happen, things that we have seen occurring in American and Scotch whisky over the last few years: price increase; selection of honey barrels for a new super-ultra-premium line, with the sub-par barrels left for the standard; a NAS addition to the line, followed by the gradual disappearance of the 12yo. I've had bad Caol Ilas, so I'm sure that it is possible to muck it up.Florinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14445344658258056628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-57960438985496991182014-03-05T20:08:31.084-05:002014-03-05T20:08:31.084-05:00Caol Ila uses almost exclusively refill casks, res...Caol Ila uses almost exclusively refill casks, resulting in minimal wood impact, so there's not a lot of monkeying possible. What would they gain? So hopefully that'll stay about the same.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-54733763166211538422014-03-05T18:35:36.568-05:002014-03-05T18:35:36.568-05:00My sentiments are very similar to yours about this...My sentiments are very similar to yours about this whisky. Four years ago (May 2010) this used to be a favorite of mine, the kind of whisky that makes a grown man cry. The notes from my last bottle, opened May 2012, speak for themselves:<br /><br />"Dissappointing. Hot with some pepper and peat. Not at all what I remembered Talisker to be! The nose is alcoholic and faint; the palate is aggressive, alcoholic again, but with this one-dimensional black pepper. Turns out it is great in blends, with less than 1/6 proportion needed." <br /><br />Incidentally, my May 2012 opening date further suggests that the decline in quality must have happened sometime between late 2010 to early 2012.<br /><br />This is sad indeed. Talisker 10yo was the first bottle of whisky (of any kind) that I bought and tremendously enjoyed, my gateway to single malt - the year was 2001. I must stock up on Caol Ila 12, the one sacred monster still standing.Florinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14445344658258056628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-55128547402379789342014-03-05T14:30:02.574-05:002014-03-05T14:30:02.574-05:00I'll have to hunt around and see if I can find...I'll have to hunt around and see if I can find some older bottles. The one I reviewed was from one of the tri-packs, which had probably been sitting on a shelf in Staten Island for years. That was definitely spirit-focused with just enough oak and sherry to balance it out. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still putting older whisky in it at that point as well.<br /><br />C'est la vie. There's still enough good whisky out there that no one should be in danger of getting stuck drinking nothing but bad stuff, but the ranks are definitely getting thinner.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448702693643593156noreply@blogger.com