Talisker 8 Years Old Diageo Special Releases 2021 59.7% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (91)

Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: it doesn't feel like they've been using rum wood, which they did last year. We're rather experiencing an extremely narrow style, in the best sense of that expression — as some great Chablis can be narrow.
A lot of mercurochrome, seawater, oysters, crushed chalk and just a load of peat. I think I had already wondered if they weren't Islayising Talisker... With water: oh this wonderful brine! Plus olive oil and a drop of mezcal. Even mezcal cannot beat this. Mouth (neat) : a total blade, sharp like a katana (whatever) and with a lot of lemon juice, brine and just 'peat'. A citrusy fruitiness too after a few seconds, perhaps citrons? Again, very simple, almost abstract, and just terrific. With water: 4 of 4 (nose neat, nose diluted, palate neat, palate diluted) Stunning purity, I suppose the only thing you could do to further improve this make is wait. All the rest is total absolut ganz perfect. Finish: long, well, not that long actually but sublimely pure. Comments: a diamond distillate, this is the perfect cut, a kind of grail that only time could further polish (you're rambling on, S) Just add time... By the way I couldn't find any vintage but there could be one, I shall amend accordingly.

Gal Granov (86)

Nose: A nice stride on the beach with wood fires nearby, or as we often call those: "Coastal" – not something you don't come to expect from a Talisker, right? It's got a briny touch to it, with earthy peat and soot, as well as remnants of ash, and a sprinkle of black pepper – Talisker DNA all over. Quite young and 'bare' no sherry and not a lot of wood, but enough to balance the peat/soot/ earth with vanilla biscuits, and hints of icing sugar along with minerality and damp oak. Further nosing reveals a fruity touch as well, that hides behind the earthy peat and Seabreeze.
Palate: Quite an entry! I am getting a lot of sweet cotton candy, then immediately it becomes smoky and spicy with vegetal notes, licorice, and aniseed, salty chocolate, and more earth, soot with a leafy/green touch, there's also some saltiness and maritime / minerality but on the backdrop.

Finish: coastal, with Seabreeze, distant smoke, and earthy peat goes on a fairly long time.
A nice young-ish, peaty, and brute Talisker, even if not ultra complex, but at 8 years old, this delivers what it promises to be, the 2nd peatiest of the bunch, and certainly a nice example of feisty Talisker pepper earth and peat alongside maritime notes.

BOW (91)