Talisker 15 (Special Releases 2019) Review

Hi everyone,

The 2019 Diageo Special Releases rolled around again to much fanfare and fanciness, as it does every year. And as it did, two things caught my attention; the prices had taken another jump upwards and the packaging had taken a turn for the worse.

The 12 peated Cragganmore looked interesting but was £110, the same as this Talisker, which I also liked the look of. What I don’t like is that Talisker 18 I got for £60 a few years ago, the 2014 Lagavulin 12 for £80. So this years special releases can be as amazing as they want, but they’ve left behind the reasonable prices that I am willing to pay for them.

Talisker 15 Special Releases 2019 57.3%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Robust but closed at first. Sea spray and engine oil, more like a Springbank! Dried orange, old spice box, liquorice, salty dried fish.

Water: Closes up like a clam. Goes quite austere.

Taste: Great arrival, super intense and oily, engines and old trains and cars, guttering fires, diesel fumes, very industrial actually, black pepper (of course). Mouthfeel on this baby is fantastic.

Water: Softer and more fruity but loses the luscious mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium length. Not too powerful but nicely balanced, quite soft black pepper and olive oil.

What I was looking for from the 8yo from 2018. Powerful, visceral and mechanical. If the finish was more powerful we'd be in the high 80's. As it stands, I’d be buying the 18yo over this.

84/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #841

Whisky Network Review #1011

Network Average: 75.2

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Linkwood 37 Special Releases 2016 [Road to #1000, Review #990]

Hi everyone,

We’re onto the big guns now!

If you have been following me for a while (hopefully just my writings, otherwise it’s kinda creepy), you might remember this old post about Linkwood.

Essentially, it boils down to the fact that in 1971 Diageo built a second distillery at Linkwood just like they did at Clynelish and (weirdly) Glendullan. In Linkwood’s case, they closed the old Worm Tub using distillery in 1985.

Which puts this 1978 vintage whisky smack bang in the middle of all that confusing craziness! Were the casks from Linkwood A or B? We do not know. Perhaps it’s a combination of both… I think it is likely that Diageo knew that there was a difference and marked the casks but we have no way of knowing.

This is another sample courtesy of the legend that is Colin Dunn. Thank you sir!

Linkwood 37 50.3%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: The most amazing balance of fruit and honey, both delicious and evocative, melon and green apple, amazingly fresh for this age, delicate malt and dry old oak, leather and a little tobacco, some cocoa powder. The blend of freshness and dark old notes is really cool. Ooooo, and now there's a little strawberry note creeping out.

Taste: Old and dry, the oak is quite intense first off but then goes into fresh fruit with the melon and green apple, a little grassy, leather and tobacco, a little golden raisin, some malt in there, heather. Again great balance and power here. Builds and builds with the oak coming back with a bit of dried strawberry and strawberry fruit pastille.

Finish: Long length. Really great transition into cocoa powder and dark chocolate with much more leather. Complex and really well balanced finish. Really stays with you.

Special Releases 2016, distilled 1978. I had a feeling this would be a good one. I might have preferred it a little younger but I was amazed by the freshness this still had after 37 years. Personally I think Linkwood is pretty underrated and this is still available for about £600. It doesn’t quite go into emotional territory though.

89/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #828

Whisky Network Review #990

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Benrinnes 23 1985 (Scotch Review #700)

Hi everyone,

Scotch Review 700 is here and it’s a good’un.

Benrinnes has always been a firm favourite of many for its meaty, slightly sulphury notes from the partial triple distillation they did pre-2007.

Of these, the 1985 vintage, 2009 special releases of the 23 year old is known, particularly on Reddit, as one of the best Scotch bottlings ever, with multiple scores of 100/100 and some other damn high ones besides.

Luckily I managed to pick up a bottle in Scotland a while back for a not ridiculous sum of monies, but I’ve always been curious to how it tastes without having to open my precious bottle… Had a chance to try it at Bottle Market in Bremen recently.

Let’s have a warm up first shall we?

Benrinnes 2001 The Single Cask 50%

Colour: Straw

Body: Medium

Nose: Delicate and light, with some underhand heating it gives more gristy meatiness, grain whisky-esque otherwise, malt and lemon.

Taste: Crisp and clean, great green apple note, very fresh, then more muscular with oak, red apple, oily mouthfeel, malt and lemon.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Lovely finish. Great oily malt, soft chocolate and heather and lemon. Great balance here.

Shame the nose is a bit light for my taste, still, the finish is spot on.

76/100

 

Benrinnes 23 1985 58.8%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Complex. Powerful nose with lots going on. Old school heavy spirit and old school heavy Sherry. Red apple and black pepper, dried blood, truffle chocolates, earthy malt and leather. More leathery as it opens up with old polished furniture.

Water: A little lighter with more ethereal sweetness, more oak but still not too much, Old Balvenie-esque orange and old wood panelled library, musky, pretty much keeps developing endlessly.

Taste: Powerful and thick. HUGE mouthfeel! Massive whisky. Oily for days, red apple, black pepper, rich Sherry, cherry, somehow it’s all in balance too! Slightly mineral pockets of flavour too.

Water: More balanced arrival, builds slowly now, more sweetness, more Sherry, raisin, more dry oak too. There's a little sharpness in the mid-palate now but it’s so so minor.

Finish: Long length. The oils! More chocolate, more meatiness here, chewy. Gravy? Perhaps... Malty gravy. Pretty damn great.

2009 Special Releases. What can I say? Legendary.

A damn sight better than the 21yo release from a while back. Its sweeter, more muscular, better balanced and with more power. Very glad I’ve got a bottle tucked away.

91/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #699-#700

Whisky Network Reviews #835-#836

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Singleton of Glen Ord 14 Review

Hi everyone,

This was the other Special Release I was very excited about and that surprised everyone. Partially, I think, because Glen Ord is a bit of an unknown distillery but mostly because it was mid-priced, which we see very little of in the SR’s these days (only the Laga 12 and the Unpeated Caol Ila’s really).

When I tried this I had thought it was just straight refill Bourbon and Hogshead matured, which the taste seemed to confirm… but then reading a little background I realised that that was not the case at all. Whisky Exchange put it like this: ‘European oak ex-sherry and refill American oak ex-bourbon casks, then the spirit was moved to ex-Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel casks, and finally it was married together in European oak puncheons.’

Anywho, I got this sample off the ever generous Colin Dunn at a festival and was able to taste it at home.

 

Singleton of Glen Ord 14 57.6%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Interesting stuff! The malt is the big player here, fruity too with apple, lemon, melon and exotic orange. The minerality makes it for me, lovely chalky note with some crushed stone, a little oak with cinnamon, marshmallow and wood spice.

Water: More fruity with loads of pear and green apple, much fresher with the malt retreating.

Taste: Soft arrival, cutting citrus, lemon juice to start then the oak comes in with this delicious malt note, ginger and black pepper, melon, complex, mineral notes now coming in with that chalky crushed stone. Masterfully balanced, really.

Water: Fresher here too with more lemon and melon, pear and green apple. Quite sour now though, so loses some balance.

Finish: Long length. A burst of citrus before more malt comes in, some heather and a little chocolate right at the end.

Special Releases 2018. Distilled 2002. Super impressed with this. Delicious and very enjoyable. Despite all the messing around with the casks, it comes across as a very natural style that stays true to the spirit.

84/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Ranking

Scotch Review #692

Whisky Network Review #826

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Talisker 8 Special Releases 2018 Review

Hi everyone,

I’ve been lucky enough to try two of Diageo’s Special Releases 2018 so far. The two most exciting: Talisker 8 and Glen Ord 14.

I was super excited for this one in particular because I haven’t tried a whole lot of cask strength Talisker but its one of my old favourites, being a big fan of the 10, 18 & DE, oh and the 30 of course. Basically everything they’ve done with an age statement. Hell, even Skye I liked.

So what is this young, Bourbon matured Talisker all about?

 

Talisker 8 2018 Special Releases 59.4%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Fruity and raw. Tequila, herbal, cigar smoke, cigarettes.

Water: NMS comes out with fruity gummy bears.

Taste: Full, powerful arrival, spicy with black pepper and red apple, wood smoke, lemon.

Water: Softer, less fruit and more average spice.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Spices fade easily, leaving you a bit disappointed.

Personally, I prefer the 10 and the 18 and the Distiller's Edition. People have been rating this very highly but for me there isn’t enough complexity or balance here despite the higher strength and cask selection. Bit of a disappointment considering the price compared to the 10 or 18.

70/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #681

Whisky Network Review #815

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Pittyvaich 25 Review

Hi everyone,

Pittyvaich is quite a rarity these days. The place only ran from 1974 to 1993 and is well known for being one of those distilleries that everyone is glad is closed. Apparently the stuff wasn’t great… The distillery was actually built to supply generic malt for the Bell’s blend, so you can see why.

I wouldn’t know much about all that, having never tasted one so when I spied a bottle at Bristol Whisky Lounge (Thanks to Colin Dunn for the taste), I gave it a go.

 

Pittyvaich 25 49.9%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Quite light and delicate. Fresh green apple, musty oak, a little soap, floral with dried flowers, deodorant- that horrible Lynx chocolate stuff to be exact.

Taste: Sharp arrival with lime and lemon juice, sour, then lots of chocolate, lots of oak, praline and sour oak, bitter almond and a weird green note, green sappy oak?

Finish: Long length. Chocolate soap, more Lynx chocolate deodorant.

1989 from Diageo’s Special Releases. A unique one for sure but the weird soapy notes drag this one into bad funky territory.

67/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #652

Whisky Network Review #777

Network Average: 75.0

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glen Elgin 16 (Special Releases 2008) Review

Hi everyone,

This was another wonderful sample from Whisky in Leiden a few weeks ago. This time an official and heavily Sherried Glen Elgin. Whom, if you remember correctly, use Worm Tubs, which should give a heft to the spirit and a sulphury-ness that would make Jim Murray quake in his fedora.

 

Glen Elgin 16 58.8%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Really heavy in style. Slightly sulphury, thick raisin and Christmas cake, dark chocolate, dense nose. Biscuit-y malt.

Taste: Soft and clean, very nice development with a surge of sweet Sherry and heavy spirit, malt, earthy, tobacco and leather, black coffee.

Finish: Long length. Black coffee, bitter charcoal, lightly dirty sulphur.

Part of the 2008 special releases. Bet they were less expensive back then too! A very nice Mortlach/Benrinnes style Glen Elgin.

85/100

Distillery: Glen Elgin

Average Score: 76

Distillery Ranking: 27th/61 places

Up/Down: 43>27 (Up 16)

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #618

Whisky Network Review #736

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Brora 30 (2004 Release) Review

Hi everyone,

Almost 700 whiskies separate 92 and 93. And yet, only 10 whiskies later, I found my second 93 scorer.

Not satisfied with the 1972 Ardbeg I just reviewed (yes, it was very nice but not in the 92/3 region), there was only one option left open to me. 1972 Brora. That legendary vintage from that legendary distillery. I had thought I saw earlier the 2002 release of Brora 30yo, which would mean 1972 or earlier. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it again until after it was too late. As the replacement I saw the 2004 release and pounced.

 

Brora 30 2004 Release 56.6%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Manure. Cow shit, barnyard, soiled hay. All that definitely evokes memories, particularly of walking in the countryside around my home town of Haslemere. Behind that there's crystallised fruit, sugared, waxy and complex. Earthy and nice old school oak. Peach stones. Even some overt peat in there, grapefruit, buttery.

Water: More yellow fruit, yellow apple, less barnyard, more earthy and oily. Can I jump into the glass?! INCREDIBLE.Some tropical fruit after a bit.

Taste: Oily and soft arrival, crystallised fruit, orange, lemon citrus, lovely sharp citrus then becoming darker and more earthy. Cocoa, dark chocolate, white pepper and refill oak.

Water: Soft, dry oak, oily, quite intense then with spice and smoke, soot, orange and lemon, really long development. Then fucking incredible into the finish, just a perfect transition of flavour.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Earthy, cocoa powder, mouth watering, dry oak. With water it's a bit longer with more smoke. Proper smoky and peaty. Striking stuff.

This obliterates the '72 Ardbeg before it, with water anyway. This took water really well and although I'm bummed I didn't get the 2002 release this was great to try. I hesitated about giving this 93, but after some thought I decided that this was a step up from the 92’s, while maybe not quite as amazing as the 1973 Mortlach. I messed around with some options: giving the Mortlach 94 and this 93, or this 92 and the Mortlach 93. Or even both 92. But this makes the most sense to me. Another level on everything else I’ve tried. Truly.

93/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #553

Whisky Network Reviews #648

Network Average: 74.7

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?