Whisky: Talisker 15 Year (1993), Hart Brothers

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 46%

Cask: Oak

Age: 15 Years (Distilled Dec. 1993, Bottled June 2009)

Nose: Rubber bicycle tires, dried plums and fruits, peppery and maritime, hints of tar, burning grass and wood resin.

Palate: Medium to light-bodied, peppery with grilled fruit, bacon, digestive biscuits, dried apricots and plums, coastal with wispy tobacco smoke.

Finish: Medium to long with salted fruits, ash, and a peppery coastal brine.

Score: 7 (83)

Mental Image: Pirates of the Bike Lane

Narrative & Notes: Rubber and fruits dropped me squarely in the Costco automotive department or a bicycle store with the aroma of rubber tires.  That sweet new rubber aroma faded over time as more rich ume and dried plums arrived with classic peppery maritime brine and beach tar.  Plums candies and licorice carried on with burning grass and wood resins.  Medium to light on the palate, an initial wave of peppery malt touched down ahead of grilled fruits and smoked bacon.  The flavors shifted in quick succession with malty digestive biscuits, dried apricots, and ume candies appearing in turn.  More coastal with wispy tobacco smoke developing over time.  The finish was medium to long with salted fruits, ash, and a peppery coastal brine.

Independently bottled Talisker isn’t quite as rare as Hen’s teeth, but it is not far off either.  When I saw this lovely bottle sitting on the shelf at the Swan Song in Singapore, I reckoned it was worth a pour.  With its rich red hue, the whisky looked to have either spent some time in a sherry cask or possibly port— one whiff of the aroma lent credence to that initial impression.

Overall, this evolved nicely as I sat with it transitioning from new bicycle tires toward ume— finally landing somewhere closer to an herbal ume cough drop with tons of classic Talisker maritime and pepper notes.  There was no mistaking this distillate.