Talisker Port Ruighe.

Talisker.. Is there anybody out there that has not heard of this distillery ? I doubt it..   The oldest working Distillery found on the Isle of Skye, founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill the distillery is today synonymous with for its chilli heat and peppery character.

Talisker has a capacity to produce around 2.7 million litres of alcohol per year for the parent company Diageo.. With all the initial spirit receiving it’s maturation some expressions are then given “finishing “ periods in a select number of casks including Amoroso sherry casks and the Port casks this expression has been “finished “ within..

Released in 2013 this Talisker Port Ruighe (pronounced Portree )  is a NAS whisky having spent its initial maturation inside American oak casks before finishing for around 6-8 months within the finest Port casks available..

This expression joins a rather impressive collection including the impressive 57 North, 25 and 30 yo releases and the extraordinary 35yo.

Bottled at 45.8% as are most of the Talisker releases and with a phenol count of around 18-20 ppm at the drying stage (again this is a standard rate for Talisker) this isn’t no means a heavily peated whisky..

Nose.. Gentle smoke rises and wraps itself around chocolate, candied orange, liquorice, molasses, burnt toast and fresh coffee notes.

Palate.. More of a spicy kick with pepper and chill being the dominant factor before the sweetness develops with honey, chocolate orange and a little plum and raisin note and of course that gentle smoke that wraps itself around everything.

Finish.. Lingering spices and chilli heat.

Thoughts.. I’ve always found Talisker hard to work out if I’m honest and the peated styles have really baffled me throughout my whisky journey but over the last year or two as my palate develops and the constant pushing from people like Colin Dunn I have really come to appreciate the world of peat..

 

This Talisker Port Ruighe for me brings some really nice sweetness to accompany that softer peat style with that peppery note and is now possibly one of my favourite Talisker expression after the “Distillers Edition”

The good thing throughout the whole Talisker range is that typical backbone that is found inside every expression, love or hate the name Talisker you have to admit they are consistent for quality and none of the releases will disappoint..

 

Talisker Port Ruighe..