The Basics:

Character: Fruity, spicy and smoky.

Score: 89/100

The details:

Like stable-mate Clynelish, Talisker’s early history is closely tied to the brutal Highland clearances, where subsistence farmers were forced off lands by large landholders in order to make way for sheep, which were more lucrative for landlords. In Talisker’s case, the owners were brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacKaskill, who had recently purchased nearby lands and cleared them of tenants. They built Talisker in 1830 partly as a means of employing the displaced farmers. The venture was not a success, and  1848, the distillery was in the hands of the bank. 

The distillery’s early history was as tempestuous as its inception, largely owing to its isolation, which made transportation to and from difficult. Greater stability came in 1880 when Talisker was purchased by Alexander Grigor Allan and Roderick Kemp, who expanded it and added a dock to improve transportation. In 1916, the distillery was taken over by a consortium of blenders, including John Walker and Sons and John Dewar and Sons. Shortly thereafter all the firms in the consortium were rolled into DCL, which eventually, over the course of the 20th century, evolved into Diageo. Talisker burned in the early 60s, and was briefly silent while the distillery was being rebuilt. 

Prior to the increased international profile of single malts, it was frequently bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, although independent bottlings have become increasingly scarce since Talisker became the representative of the unofficial “Islands” region in UDV/Diageo’s “Classic Malts of Scotland” range. The popularity of the 10 year old “Classic Malts” Talisker led to an expansion of the range which now includes a fairly regular 18 year old expression alongside a bevy of no-age statement expressions, intermittent older expressions at 25 and 30 years old, and regular entries in the annual Special Releases. 

Talisker produces a lovely malt whisky, and it has long been one of my favorite distilleries. Although I had a fondness for peaty whiskies right from the start, the 10 year old Talisker was probably the first one to catch my fancy that I could readily identify and repeatedly order. I’ve had good Talisker, and better Talisker, but never bad, or even mediocre, Talisker.

Of course, not everything is sunshine and roses. Diageo bottles most Talisker at the mysterious 45.8% abv, which is frustratingly shy of the magic 46% and strongly suggests that they have visited the ills of chillfiltration on the spirit. Nowadays, the 10 year old costs almost $100 in my market, which is overpriced by at least $30, even accounting for inflation and other vagaries. And then there’s stuff like this expression, “The Wild Explorador,” a no-age statement, cask strength expression from the 2023 Special Releases that hit retail with an asking price of around $120-130 even without any guarantee of integrity presentation. In short, Talisker is a microcosm of the various quibbles whisky enthusiasts have with Diageo’s approach to its malt whisky portfolio, which boils down to a dated lack of transparency about the product and some pretty egregious overpricing.

So price and other caviling aside, what’s my take on this expression? It’s definitely not the best Talisker I’ve ever had–to my palate, it’s pulling in too many different directions at once in ways that don’t quite work for me. But if you like mixing smoke and fruit and even some hints of spice, and bang for your buck doesn’t factor too heavily into your thinking, this is an enjoyable whisky.

Talisker, “The Wild Explorador,” 59.7% abv

Tasting notes:

Nose: Fruity, smoky, and lightly mineralic. Rock salt. White peach, mesquite smoke, mustard BBQ sauce. Becoming oilier and brinier with creosote and engine room along with lingering white peach. At the last, prune juice.

Body: Light to medium.

Palate: Much smokier and more charred. There’s still traces of stone fruit, but more black licorice. Smoked trout. Ham. Becoming a little sweeter, like fruit syrup.

Finish: Gentle smoke, white peach, spice–clove? Medium to long.

Score: 89/100

Who should buy it?: If you really like whisky that is both demonstrably fruity from reasonably active wine casks, and also quite smoky from a big ol’ dollop of peat, you’ll probably find a lot to appreciate here. If you’re looking for “bang for your buck” you’re probably better off with something like a sherried Kilchoman or a peated Glasgow, and if you don’t like mixing smoke and fruit, this one is definitely not for you.

Overall thoughts: A nice, but frankly unspectacular Talisker, both genuinely enjoyable and extremely overpriced.

If you enjoyed this review and would like to make a small donation to support this site, please click here.