Talisker 25 year old 2006 release
Review by Talisker
- Nose
Sweet, gentle, rich and complex. Good concentration. Not instantly smoky, but there is a heathery fragrance. Warm sandalwood, faintly maritime; dry seaweed, sand-dunes. Seems nutty, then builds to a warming peat fire, with a perfumed fruitiness. Rich toffee traces behind this. Takes (a little) water well. An intriguing, very slightly medicinal smokiness now adds freshness, floating above caramelised fruits and hard toffee. Becomes slightly salty, marine.
- Palate
Ripe, big, complex and intense. Great flavour, warming and spicy. An instant hit of smoke. Very oily and mouth-filling, teasing your tongue. There's a subtle tinned-pear sweetness in the middle but the palate is really all about smoke and heat. Water calms things, allowing sweet, strawberry-like fruit to show and bringing out a superb balance. Oily, with fresh, mineral-salty flavours, and spicy on the tongue (peppered mackerel?) Fresh, with primary tastes nicely balanced.
- Finish
Long, and warming, still mixing sweet and dry, with only a trace of Talisker's key-note chilli catch.
- Note
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Gold in colour with moderate beading. Smooth and medium bodied. Presented blind, powerful smoky-sweet pepper identifies it as Talisker right away, but in a graceful, mature form with a mellow character. Particularly good at natural strength.