Talisker 1975 / 25 Year Old

The first limited official Talisker I believe. I always liked it but never took proper notes.

Colour: full gold.

Nose: it seems that there’s kind of a fight between the spirit and the sherry here, at least for a while, but both mingle together pretty nicely after a few seconds, and do create an ‘extra-dimension’. Something like peated and peppered Seville oranges. After that it’s all on orange cake, vanilla fudge and chestnut honey (a very aromatic honey), with the maritime side coming out but not too much. Lovely anyway. With water: more sherry, of the beefy kind. Barbecued steak, stout beer and smoked ham as well as dried kelp. More complex indeed.

Mouth (neat): ultra-big, starting more on bitter oranges and something like icing sugar than on the expected peat-pack. Something slightly ‘unbalanced’ (orangeade) but let’s try it with water. Great news, these disturbing ‘chemically orangey’ notes vanished and we’re all on dried mushrooms, Havana tobacco and dried ginger now. Something like lychees and guavas as well – yes, that was unexpected. It got truly beautiful.

Finish: long, balanced, sort of ‘appeased’, both fruity and peaty/peppery.

Comments: I had this one at 88 until now but I’ll happily add two more points. SGP:536 – 90 points.