Description
Nose : Unreduced, unassertive at first. No nose prickle. Opens in a little while to reveal a grapey, red wine note, with faint smoke behind. Adding water softens things and adds a spicy maritime note, leaving just a pleasing clue as to what lies beyond. This is a whisky for the palate, not the nose.
Taste : in brief… Simply structured and approachable. Less drying and rounder than the 25 year old, so more of an after dinner malt. in a sentence… You would never guess this to be a 30 year old from the flavour – only the softness of the nose gives it away.
Palate : At bottled strength, a lively yet mature delight, like the favourite uncle you don’t get to see often enough. Immediately sweet, peppery and hot, with just the right amount of balancing bitterness and salt, and no rough edges. The sweetness spreads right across the palate. Medium bodied. Drinks beautifully straight. Adding water (just a splash) gives a softer, still sweet start, with waves of warmth riding this tide then subsiding slowly across the palate. Talisker’s trademark chilli catch may be long gone, but the rounded pepper in this expression compensates with a doctor’s bedside manner; it is smooth and assured. Delicious.