This yr Diageo created its Particular Releases 2024 as a second version of the Spirited Xchange theme. It’s nonetheless a cask energy collection which revolves round unusual cask varieties. We begin with Talisker, often a dependable element – it appeared over twenty instances on this collection already.
For the Talisker 8 12 months Outdated ‘Tidal Churn’ (as a non-native English speaker I needed to look that up) they used stone-spun and flippantly re-toasted cask. Fairly an elaborate description. The barrels’ authentic char layers had been polished away by rocks and water, however I’m undecided the best way to perceive this precisely. I imagine moist stones go inside after which the cask rotates, creating mild erosion. Afterwards they re-toast the oak to carry out recent vanilla and fruit flavours.
Talisker 8 yo ‘Tidal Churn’ (58,7%, OB 2024, stone-spun and flippantly re-toasted casks)
Nostril: firmly coastal, with hints of sea breeze, moist rocks and echoes of iodine. In a second layer there are lemons and unripe pears. As time goes by, whiffs of vanilla cake continue to grow stronger. There’s solely mild peat, overtaken just a little by oak spice. Overtaken by alcohol as properly, I’m afraid, because it’s fairly sizzling and peppery.
Mouth: now extra peat smoke comes out. A pleasant peppery heat (nonetheless some alcohol warmth too), with loads of saline components, oysters and smoked lemons. A pleasant creamy sweetness within the background, together with apples, earlier than returning to extra mineral and ashy notes. The saltiness turns into louder in direction of the end.
End: fairly lengthy, with a peppery and minty freshness. A light inexperienced leafiness in the long run.
Like nearly each Talisker, that is very first rate. Alternatively these barely bizarre casks don’t supply a novel fingerprint, which leaves us questioning why this was chosen. The truth is I don’t perceive why Diageo retains insisting on so many 8 yr outdated Taliskers as ‘particular releases’ – none of them had been really spectacular and the 15 Years (2019) and even the 11 Years (2022) had been so significantly better. Obtainable from The Whisky Alternate and Grasp of Malt, amongst many different retailers.
