Craigellachie 12 yo 2007 / 2019 SMWS 44.113 59.9% vs Talisker 15 yo Special Release 2019 57.3%
Craigellachie 12 yo 2007 / 2019 SMWS 44.113 59.9%
At heart a fat buttery spirit, here doused in aromatic herbs like fennel, bay pepper, shiso, eucalyptus even some cool cucumber, but blisteringly hot and feisty. Particularly on the tongue where the remnant of something feinty is quickly swept away by a avalanche of sodium chloride and artificial licorice. This pervasive hint of burnt gristle does not go away however and while ‘Aromatic Mouthwash’ is absolutely right, it absolutely wants another 10 years. 84 pts
Talisker 15 yo Special Release 2019 57.3%
Lit menthol cigarettes, and walking on sea washed boardwalks while enjoying a fish pasty. Barrels of salt, muddy ropes, and grimy mud thrown up by a strong churning surf. Shellfish, cured seaweed, clean rubber and sizzling rocks at the bottom of a firepit complete the evocative seaside scene. Is Talisker the most maritime of malts? Maybe so but my god the white hot blaze at its heart needs taming. This bottle was an abject disappointment till the last quarter when, with copious air and a good breather, the brute heat was fanned out of it, and then it was glorious. 85 pts newly opened 91 pts at the last pour.
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