Post # 500
Country: Scotland
Brand: Talisker 57 Degrees North
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Region: Highland (Island: Skye)
Age: NAS
Alcohol: 57%
Colour: A combination of Gold, Amber and Orange
Nose: Young, Edgy, Sweet, Sour and Salty all at the same time. I find Mild Sweet Peat, Wet Clay, Campfire Smoke, Sea Water, Raw Bacon, Fish and Shellfish, Mineral Tones, Leather, Caramel, Malt, New Spirit, Orange, Lemon, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Oak and hints of Plastic and used Matches. Lots of Strong Alcohol around. Still, I like it! It's similar to the 10 Years but it feels younger and more nervous. It's as rough as the location where it was distilled.
Taste: Strong Delivery. A
bit of Sweet Fruit (Apricot perhaps) is followed by Wet Clay, Peat, Smoke,
Orange and Lemon Zest, Butter Biscuits, Vanilla, Oak, Black Pepper, Aniseed,
Licorice and a hint of Dark Chocolate.
Finish: Undeniably Talisker with strong Jalapeno Peppers, Smoke, Sea Water, Herbs, Menthol, Licorice, Lemon, Black Espresso and Dark Chocolate. Quite Dry and Salty in the end!
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes a bit less Edgy with Floral Tones, Honey and Citrus. It also gets Sweeter on the Palate with some (Dried) Fruit and Toffee. Nice Pepper and Sweet Earthy Peat as well. The Finish is quite a bit shorter. I advise you to try it both ways!
Rating: 86.5
Nose: 22 – Taste: 21.5 – Finish: 21.5 – Overall: 21.5
General Remarks: Today we are celebrating Post # 500 on Best Shot Whisky Reviews that started its activities on November 11, 2011. Of these 500, 375 posts are Whisky Tasting Notes/Reviews. I would like to thank all of you for the interest and support you have given me right from the beginning. I hope I will be able to continue this great hobby for a long time. Because I simply love Nosing and Tasting Whisky and write about it. Cheers to all of you! And since Talisker is one of my favourite distilleries, I chose the 57 Degrees North as Post Number 500. Enjoy!
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 2,6 million litres per year. It’s part of the Diageo Group. The Talisker 57 Degrees North was launched around 2008, initially as a Travel Retail Special. It matured mainly in Refill Ex Bourbon Casks but I suspect some Ex-Sherry Casks were used as well. It is bottled somewhere near Cask Strength. The name and ABV refer to the exact latitude of the Isle of Skye. It costs around 90 US Dollars.
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 2,6 million litres per year. It’s part of the Diageo Group. The Talisker 57 Degrees North was launched around 2008, initially as a Travel Retail Special. It matured mainly in Refill Ex Bourbon Casks but I suspect some Ex-Sherry Casks were used as well. It is bottled somewhere near Cask Strength. The name and ABV refer to the exact latitude of the Isle of Skye. It costs around 90 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: The 57 Degrees North is not as Peaty and not quite as Peppery as the 10 Years and not as sophisticated as the 18 Years. But I believe it is solid enough to justify its own place in the Talisker line-up, helped without any doubt by the strong ABV of 57%. Thanks to its obvious youth, the 57 Degrees North shows a nervous roughness that simply combines with its place of birth. It smells and tastes a bit "Unfinished" at times but it gets away with it. The 18 Years still remains my favourite but if you like the Distillery profile you won't be disappointed with the 57 Degrees North. It's a bit different for sure but still a fine Talisker!
Jan van den Ende September 28, 2014
