Talisker Storm

The oldest working distillery on Skye, Talisker was founded 1830 by brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill. By late Victorian times it had become one of the largest selling single malts going from strength-to-strength, showing that then as now, the whisky had its own distinct style. But in 1960, the still-house was destroyed as flaming whisky ran into Loch Harport, that set it ablaze. The rebuilt distillery contained exact replicas of the old stills, featuring U shaped lye pipes that yield a form of double distillation and together with cooling in traditional worm tubs. These features still give Talisker unique texture and character.

Sweet and syrupy up front, quickly followed by ferns and bitter woody bark in a bit of a balancing act. Riding along with that is prickly white pepper, rock pool brine, a touch of sweet fruit and a nice waxiness. Again behind everything, standing a little separate but waving at all of the other flavors is woody smoke - beach bonfires and pungent peat.