Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9%
Lovely old sea-driven nose, immediately evocative with brine, pulled up shellfish in nets, loose seaweed, rubber boots, lemon balm, oiled decks and a touch of mud. Thin white smoke and drops of petrol. Straightforward, clean and zippy-fresh. These older Taliskers do remind me of 70s Ardbegs minus the peat. All’s well but then the palate arrives and now the faintest hint of wilt and stale water appear and don’t seem to want to leave. Now this could just be a contaminated bottle, so no hasty judgement is necessary. ?? pts
Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 Special Release 62%
Back from when special releases were genuinely special, plus this one has a reputation. Well the sherry leans old but the oak is undoubtedly highly extractive, strangely lending it a modern feel already. Together it is certainly dark and spicy and one finds thick swathes of rich hues painted with black tea, fig paste, black pepper, gula melaka, cocoa and mounds of spices, earthy vetiver oil, and its actually rather welcome. Who can say no to rich creamy things, the oak however borders on excessive but redemption comes! Surging saltwater and smoky sea wind. You turn and now you are chain smoking menthol cigarettes observing a beach, muddied after a storm, littered with detritus plucked from the depths of the waters and scattered wholesale. It might be difficult to imagine but the tannins, the richness, the salt and the smoke are fairly well balanced in this bottle, if not entirely to my taste. 90 pts
Whiskyrific RSS
- Springbank 32 yo 1966 / 1998 #499 55.1%
- Millburn 36 yo 1969 / 2005 Douglas Laing #DL2152 50% vs Glenburgie 40 yo 1963 / 2003 Signatory #4751 56.4%
- Ben Nevis 23 yo 1996 / 2019 Single Malts of Scotland for the Nectar #536 51.3% vs A Speyside Distillery 32 yo 1989 / 2022 Thompson Bros 51.4%
- Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 61.1% vs Brora 22 yo 1972 / 1995 Rare Malts 58.7%
- Talimburg 19 yo 1986 / 2005 The Whisky Fair #1485 45.9% vs Talisker 20 yo 1981 / 2002 62%
- Caol Ila 12 yo Bulloch Lade for Zenith 43% vs Caol Ila 30 yo 1979 / 2010 Berry Bros #4604/5 55.6%
- Clynelish 29 yo 1965 Whyte & Whyte 52.1%
- Brora 21 yo 1982 / 2003 Signatory #416 58.4% vs Clynelish 27 yo 1982 / 2009 Synch Eli Daily Dram 46%
- Dornoch 5 yo 2017 / 2023 #46 ‘Jasper Broers’ 57.9% vs Shizuoka ‘private cask’ 2017 / 2022 #2017-108 61%
- Clynelish 26 yo 1993 / 2020 Carn Mor #11215 52.7% vs Bowmore 17 yo 2004 /2021 SMWS 3.327 ‘Siren’s Song’ 57.1%
whiskyrific 