Talisker Skye Review

“Middle of the Road”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland (Island: Skye)

Brand: Talisker Skye

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 45.8%

Colour: Bright Gold with a touch of Orange (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Be sure to give the Skye some time in the glass as the Alcohol is very present at first. This is obviously a Young Whisky and most of the Aromas are still underdeveloped. I find Dirty Earth, light Smoke, light Soot, light Ashes, Pencil Shavings, Charred Oak, Sweet Cereals, slightly Burnt Toast, Salted Butter, Toffee, Treacle, Honey, Vanilla, light Medicinal and Floral notes, Light Leather, Unripe Bananas, Citrus, Pepper, Ginger and Nutmeg. A distant hint of Fish on the BBQ. Even after half an hour in the glass the Alcohol remains strong. If this is your first Talisker you might actually like this. If you love the 10 and 18 Years however you will be quite disappointed. The Sky is Young, Sweet and does not pack the same Punch.

Taste: A slightly Thin delivery despite the adequate ABV. The Smoke is more noticeable now and and so are Salt and Spices. I find Sweet Barley, Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Campfire Smoke, Dirty Earth, Wet Grass, Ashes, light Soot, Caramel, Honey, Vanilla, Charred Oak, Unripe Fruit (Apple, Banana), Citrus, Pepper, Salt, Nutmeg and Ginger. Distant hints of Bitter Chocolate and Salted Nuts.   

Finish: Middle-Long, Spicy and Ashy. Quite Dry actually. The Alcohol remains present until the very end. I find Malted Cereals, light Smoke, Charred Oak, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, slightly Bitter Orange Juice, Pepper, Salt, Licorice and Ginger. Images of Wet Rock and Wet Sand.    

I added a little Water and on the Nose the Smoke becomes more noticeable. I get a little Bitter Chocolate as well. Palate and Finish become too Thin. Better sip it Neat. 

Rating: 83.5 

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 21.5 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 21

General Remarks: The Talisker distillery is located in Carbost on the shores of Loch Harport on the Isle of Skye. It was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill and produces around 3 million litres of Alcohol per year. It is part of the Diageo Group. The Talisker Skye was released in early 2015 as a Sweeter and Mellower Alternative to the Rougher, Spicy Expressions like the 10 Years. The Skye matured in a mix of refill and toasted American Oak Casks. The Toasted Casks are used to increase the Sweetness. It costs around 50 US Dollars on average but in some places you can get it for as little as 30 US Dollars (March 2016).

Drinking Experience Neat: Good  

Conclusion: After having tasted the Storm, the Port Ruighe and the Skye it's now time to evaluate these recent Talisker NAS expressions although I must admit I haven't tasted the Dark Storm as yet. Let me start by saying that all three of them aren't bad Single Malts. They are actually quite drinkable. But I have two problems with them. The first is the lack of age. No way, this can be compensated or masked by a higher ABV. In fact, the Alcohol is overly present and the Aromas and Flavours are underdeveloped. The second problem is even worse. All these NAS expressions are aimed to please the mainstream Whisky public. Therefore they steer away from the original Talisker Distillery profile. As a result you get Middle of the Road Whisky accompanied by a nice little Story and modern attractive Packaging. True Talisker fans however will miss the sheer Punch of the 10 Years and the rounded balance of the 18 Years and some of the Distillers Editions. Let's hope that the market circumstances will change again over time. If not, you won't be able anymore to taste the differences between say Caol Ila and Talisker in 10 years from now. And that would be a great pity! 

Jan van den Ende                                                                   March 10, 2016