The Talisker 8 Year Old released in the 2020 Diageo Special Releases was an unusual proposition: a young, cask-strength Talisker matured entirely in first-fill ex-Caribbean rum casks. It was bottled at 57.9% ABV without chill filtration, and formed part of a themed set of Special Releases drawing on unusual cask types.
Talisker has periodically appeared in the Special Releases programme since it began in 2001, usually with older stock, so a full-term 8 year old was a deliberate change of register. The choice of rum casks plays on long-standing historical links between the Scottish whisky trade and the Caribbean sugar and rum trade of the 18th and 19th centuries.
The nose is immediately different from the core range: tropical fruit, molasses and dried banana sit over the familiar bonfire smoke and brine. The palate is oily and generously sweet, with brown sugar and pineapple giving way to a forceful peppery peat and a clean maritime core. At natural strength it holds together remarkably well for an 8 year old, and a drop of water releases more fruit without unravelling the structure.
It was widely praised on release and has since become one of the more sought-after recent Taliskers on the secondary market. On quality grounds alone it deserves its reputation.
