Review / Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength

This whisky is the latest limited edition single malt whisky to be released from the Hebridean distillery of  Torabhaig (pronounced tora-vaig). the newest distillery on the isle of Skye. The Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength is a cask strength version of their popular Allt Gleann bottling, which was first released in 2021. Allt Gleann translates as 'old glen' from the local Gaelic dialect. The whiskies featured in Batch Strength were distilled in 2017 and 2018, and filled to ex-bourbon barrels. It forms part of The Legacy Series alongside the original Allt Gleann expression and other bottlings. Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength is released at 61.1% ABV and will be available in selected world markets, plus at the distillery shop on Skye. A bottle will cost £75/ €85/ $US89.  

Review / Talisker Xpedition Oak 43 years old

This new whisky is the oldest ever single malt to be released by the Talisker distillery from the Scottish isle of Skye. The Talisker Xpedition Oak 43 years old has been created from just 10 casks, with all being filled in the late 1970s. These have yielded just 1,830 bottles in total - a reference to the year that the distillery was founded. The whisky was finished for a short period in casks made from oak staves that travelled 3,264 miles across the Atlantic Ocean on the yacht of explorer James Aitken when he was taking part in The Atlantic Challenge. A piece of stave is included within the each presentation box.

Distillery Visit - Talisker

The distillery of Talisker is located in the village of Carbost on the rugged Hebridean island of Skye. Talisker is a Viking word translating as 'sloping rock' and is named after Talisker Bay, which is about five miles away. The distillery was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill brothers and they were from the nearby island of Eigg. They purchased the land as it was cheap - this was because it was not good for farming. The village of Carbost was built at the same time as the distillery and the houses used for distillery workers.

Have just tried > Talisker 12 years old 'Friends of the Classic Malts'

Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky distillery on the isle of Skye. The island lies off the north west Highland coast and forms part of the Hebrides. The distillery is the only one on the island and is located close to the village of Carbost, in the shadow of the imposing Cuillin hills. Despite its remote location, the distillery is one of the most visited in Scotland. Talisker was founded in 1830 by two local brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and has a current annual production capacity of 1.9 million litres. The distillery is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and its sales are increasing rapidly, thanks mostly to the ever popular Talisker 10 years old.

To read more history and information about the Talisker distillery then visit the Talisker distillery profile page on our website whiskyforeveryone.com.

This 12 years old was released in November 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Friends of the Classic Malts - the Classic Malts are a range of whiskies from within Diageo's portfolio of 28 Scottish distilleries (you can join the Friends by going to Diageo's single malt website at www.malts.com). It was a limited release (if you can call 21,500 bottles 'limited'!) and has an alcoholic strength of 45.8% ABV. The original price was around the £45 mark - it appears that a few bottles are still floating about three years later and we found some for sale online at approximately £70. The release compliments a strong core range that includes a 10 and 18 year olds, the Distiller's Edition matured in ex-Amoroso sherry casks and the 57° North at 57% ABV. These are supplemented by annual releases at 25 and 30 years of age, plus other occasional limited bottlings.

Our tasting notes
The colour is golden amber and the nose is vibrant and very pleasant. There are lovely toffee and caramel aromas to begin with and these are quickly joined by some rich, sweet peat smoke, some malty cereals (think of oatcakes) and understated fruitiness - this combines subtle aromas of stewed apple and dried fruit, especially sultana. Underneath are notes of honey plus damp earth and leaves/foliage. On the palate, this whisky feels warm, sweet and syrupy with plenty of the malty cereals kicking things off. The cereal notes are quickly softened by delicious sweeter flavours of honey, caramel, toffee, stewed fruits (that apple again, plus some pear) and dried fruits (especially juicy sultanas). All of these sweeter notes are balanced by a lovely, gentle peat smoke that is reminiscent of a leafy bonfire and cigar tobacco smoke, some wood spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and a hint of salty brine. The finish is long and has a bittersweet quality - it begins sweetly before becoming drier with plenty of warming spicy notes, especially cinnamon and white pepper. The finish is spicier than the nose or palate suggest.

What's the verdict?
This Talisker 12 years old is a very good and well crafted whisky. It offers something different from the popular 10 years old, as the additional time spent maturing in an ex-sherry cask has given a good level of sweetness and fruitiness that seems to absorb some of the signature Talisker pepper/chilli-like spiciness. It is a shame that there are only a few overpriced bottles left and we hope that Diageo are planning a new release of something similar soon. We would like to thank Colin Dunn of Diageo for allowing us the chance to try this lovely whisky.

Have just tried ... Director's Tactical Selection 'Old Malt Cask' 10 years old

An independent single cask bottling
Director's Tactical Selection is a single malt whisky released by the independent bottling company Douglas Laing & Co. They are based in Glasgow and the company that was set up by Frederick Douglas Laing in 1948. They are one of the largest independent bottlers in Scotland and is currently run by Frederick's two sons, Stewart and Fred Junior. Distilleries from all areas of Scotland fill whisky directly to Douglas Laing’s own casks and these are matured and then released or blended at the appropriate time. This whisky is part of the Old Malt Cask range, which are all bottlings released at 50% ABV and specially selected from single casks. This limits the numbers of each release and increases the retail price and in this case, there are only 354 bottles available and each should cost £60-70.

So, which distillery is it from?
Director's Tactical is not a distillery name, but one given to it by Douglas Laing & Co. Most distilleries allow the independent bottling companies to use their name, however some do not so an alternative name has to be given. This is the case here. it is not as difficult as you think to guess these distilleries, especially once you look at the label on the bottle. This is named as 'A Skye malt' and there is only only distillery on the isle of Skye, so therefore it must be from it. That distillery is Talisker.

Remote yet popular
Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky distillery on the isle of Skye. The island lies off the north west Highland coast and forms part of the Hebrides. As mentioned, the distillery is the only one on the island and is located close to the village of Carbost, in the shadow of the imposing Cuillin hills. Despite its remote location, the distillery is one of the most visited in Scotland. Talisker was founded in 1830 by two local brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and has a current annual production capacity of 1.9 million litres. The distillery is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and its sales are increasing rapidly, mostly thanks to the popular Talisker 10 years old.

To read more history and information about the Talisker distillery then visit the Talisker distillery profile page on our website whiskyforeveryone.com.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this Director's Tactical Selection Old Malt Cask 10 years old (possibly, one of the longest names for a whisky so far!) is pale and golden, almost straw-like. The nose is fresh, vibrant and fragrant with plenty of vanilla, sweet honey, dried grasses and bitter cereal grains (imagine the husks especially). Through these aromas comes some lovely sweet, earthy peat and a touch of salty sea water. This nose makes you want to try the whisky. On the palate, this is again fresh and feels light and thin in the mouth. However, it makes up for this slight disappointment with plenty of vibrant flavours - lots of sweet grain, vanilla and peat (think of damp earth or moss) to begin with and then warm spices (imagine peppercorns or chilli), honey, brine and a hint of bitter iodine. The finish becomes very hot and spicy (the peppercorns and chilli again) with the salty note, honey and sweet peatiness fighting their way through to give decent length. The finish burns away for a long time getting drier and drier with a hit of that bitter iodine to end.

What's the verdict?
This is a good but slightly challenging whisky. Fans of the regular distillery release of Talisker 10 years old may be disappointed as it does not have the richness or peatiness of that. This is fresher, more vibrancy, more spicy heat and is stronger in alcohol. The casking is different and the one used has imparted more subtle characters to the whisky, but this makes it a different drink. The higher ABV calls for the addition of water but this brings out a distinct cereal grassiness and something slightly acidic and unpleasant - we recommend sticking to drink it neat. The price is also double that of the regular 10 years old. It's a lovely refreshing peaty whisky but is it worth the money?

Have just tried ... Talisker 'Distiller's Edition'

Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky distillery on the isle of Skye. The island lies off the north west Highland coast and forms part of the Hebrides. The distillery is the only one on the island and is located close to the village of Carbost, in the shadow of the imposing Cuillin hills. Despite its remote location, the distillery is one of the most visited in Scotland. Talisker was founded in 1830 by two local brothers, Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and has a current annual production capacity of 1.9 million litres.

Talisker is currently owned by drinks giant Diageo and they have recently given the brand a lot of promotion, including a spate of Burns Night events such as the one that we have attended recently. The result is that worldwide sales have risen by 100% in the last five years and it is now Diageo's best selling single malt behind Cardhu. Talisker continues to win prizes around the world, culminating in their 18 years old winning 'Best Single Malt' at The World Whisky Awards in 2007.

The whisky produced at Talisker contributes towards Diageo's famous Johnnie Walker blended whisky range. The rest is released as single malts. The core range is small and contains a 10 years old, the 18 years old and this 'Distiller's Edition', which is finished in Amoroso sherry casks and released in regular batches. This batch was distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2009 with an alcoholic strength of 45.8% ABV. A 25 years old and a 30 years old are also released as limited editions.

The colour of this 'Distiller's Edition' is golden amber and the nose has a warm, welcoming feeling. There is a lovely mix of aromas - dark dried fruits (imagine raisins and sultanas), caramel, nuts (think of hazelnuts), malty cereals, Talisker's trademark peppery smoke, a hint of some cocoa powder - and they combine very well. On the palate, a spicy smokiness hits first (imagine cracked peppercorns and nutmeg) followed by rich, sweet dried fruits (the raisins and sultanas again, with some candied orange peel). The whisky feels velvety in the mouth and the initial characteristics are joined by sweet caramel, roasted nuts (think of almonds especially), something floral (reminiscent of heather), honey, just a hint of cocoa and a tang of saltiness. The complex mix of flavours carries through in to a spicy. It is malty (imagine cereal grains) and sweet before an earthy peatiness and spices (the peppercorns and nutmeg again) come through, making it feel drier at the end.

This version of 'Distiller's Edition' is lovely. The sherry cask influence has softened some of the more fiery characteristics associated with Talisker. We sampled it at a recent tasting (thanks to Colin Dunn from Diageo and Jo at TrimediaUK) where many of the other guests had not tasted much whisky and the general opinion was that 'Distiller's Edition' was easier to drink, richer and more palatable than the regular 10 years old. Having said that, while this 'Distiller's Edition' is very good, the Talisker 10 years old remains one of our favourite drams and is a classic whisky.

Have just tried ... Talisker 10 years old

Talisker is the only distillery on the island of Skye, which lays off the north west Highland coast. The distillery is owned by drinks giant Diageo and they have given the brand a lot of promotion, resulting in sales rising by 40% in the last three years. Talisker is an iconic Scottish whisky and continually wins prizes around the world, culminating in their 18 years old winning 'Best Single Malt' at The World Whisky Awards in 2007. The distillery was founded in 1830 at a remote location on the island and it is still tricky to get to today. That doesn't stop people getting there though and Talisker is one of the most visited distilleries in Scotland. Some of the whisky produced goes towards Diageo's famous Johnnie Walker blended whisky range but most is released as single malts. The core range is small but excellent and contains this 10 years old, the 18 years old and a 'Distiller's Edition' that is finished in Amoroso sherry casks. A 25 years old and a 30 years old are also released as limited editions. Independent bottlings are rare and when they are released the bottlers are not allowed to name it Talisker under a 'gentleman's agreement'. Two of the most popular independent bottlings are called 'Tactical Director's' and 'Isle of Skye'.

Talisker has a mid level of smokiness (22ppm) and this comes through on the nose. The peatiness is there but it has a fiery and spicy edge to it. There is also a hint of dried fruit, a citrusy tang and a whiff of salty sea air. On the palate, this instantly explodes in your mouth with a mixture of that fiery spicy smoke (think of black peppercorns), caramel and sweet malted barley. It feels full bodied and that hint of saltiness from the nose is present also. The finish is long with a perfect mix of peaty smoke and peppery spiciness (those black peppercorns again). Talisker is a classic whisky. The pepperiness gives it a unique quality and flavour among Scottish whiskies. It is readily available in supermarkets and independent shops alike, and can cost anywhere between £28-35 a bottle. A whisky that just has to be tried.