Talisker 40 was released in 2019 as the inaugural bottling of the Bodega Series, a Diageo project pairing very old single malts with casks sourced from named Spanish bodegas. The whisky was distilled in 1978 and finished in casks that had previously held fortified wine. Fewer than 2,000 bottles were issued.
By the late 1970s Talisker was rebuilding. A serious fire in 1960 had destroyed the stillhouse and forced the rebuilding of the five stills to exact replicas of the originals — an act of conservatism that preserved the distillery's distinctive character. The casks used for the 40 year old were filled in the years after that recovery, when Talisker was once again running normally and supplying the Johnnie Walker blends.
At forty years, even a famously robust Talisker spirit has surrendered most of its volume to the angels and most of its strength to the wood. The 45.1% ABV is unusually low for a modern Special Release and reflects the natural cask strength after four decades of evaporation in maritime warehouses. The result is a whisky of texture rather than impact — closer in feel to an old Cognac than to the sharp, peppery Talisker most drinkers know.
It is, frankly, more of a museum piece than a session dram. But as a record of what Talisker spirit becomes after forty years on Skye, it is unmatched.
