Talisker 9 2008 Old Malt Cask

In my exploration of distilleries I enjoy, I’m endeavoring to try IBs from them as well as the distillery bottlings. Talisker was one of the only the ones with reasonable availability I hadn’t tried yet, so I ate the tariff and ordered a bottle to sate my OCD for the moment.

Talisker 9 2008, Hunter Laing, The Old Malt Cask, Island (Skye) Single Malt, 50% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in December 2008, matured in Sherry butt HL15652, and bottled in November 2018. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Old Gold Amber, 0.6.5.

Nose: Smoky, briny, medicinal.

Taste: Smoke, vegetal/peat, pepper, slightly sweet malt.

Finish: Big brine, medicinal, heat, medium-long, on the longer side.

I really enjoyed this one overall. At times it was wowing, at others felt underwhelming, but in general it was quite good. It’s been a while since I first tried and fell for Talisker 10, and as I’ve had more whisky the impression that left on me has diminished somewhat, and this really brought that right back. While this got a slightly lower score than the OB 10 did, I do think I like it better and it’s just a symptom of either being too generous at the beginning and/or more discerning as time goes on.

Score: 89

2019 Advent #7 - Laphroaig 14 2000 Old Malt Cask

Laphroaig 10 is the first real whisky I had and is the one that sent me on my way to experience and enjoy so much more. This is the first IB I’ve had from them and needless to say I’m looking forward to it.

Laphroaig 14 2000, Hunter Laing, The Old Malt Cask, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in June 2000, matured in a refill cask numbered 11151, and bottled in December 2014 yielding 295 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn

Color: Corn, .4.

Nose: Smoky, medicinal, bit of apple. There’s a weird “brightness” in the nose that’s unfamiliar to other aromas I’ve described as bright.

Taste: Strong smoke, big pepper.

Finish: Medium long, pepper, peat. Fades into a more vegetal peatiness.

Guess: IB Laphroaig?

I had a little bit of an edge knowing there wasn’t an OB Laphroaig in the mix in guessing this was an IB, but it had that unmistakable Laphroaig quality. This was a well selected cask and right now I’ll be considering other releases from this line to be pretty in line with expectations of the source distillery until I find otherwise. I’m quite surprised at the color given the age, though it makes some sense being a refill cask. Not an every day dram because, while it is good, it’s intense. I’d be happy to have a bottle of this around, but don’t feel compelled to seek one out.

Score: 84

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar: