4.7/5 with 10,000+ reviews
Presenting... Talisker 45 Year Old Glacial Edge
The pinnacle of the Isle of Skye icon's Xpedition Oak series, this 45 Year Old bottling is a first for Talisker. Made by the sea and activated by ice, the expression has been finished in casks that underwent the boldest elemental adventure of all, having been ice-fractured in biting Arctic winds for 96 hours. Here, these casks took on a new character, as the oak grain revealed hidden cracks, allowing for the whisky to travel deeper into the wood and obtain spicier and sweeter aromas.
The limited edition is a partnership with PARLEY, a global environmental organisation and network of creatives, scientists and innovators. They ventured to the glacial regions of the Northern Hemisphere with the twelve heavily-charred American oak Canadian whisky casks in question, to shine a light on this beautiful yet transforming environment. Presented at an impressive cask strength of 49.8% abv, this one-of-a-kind Talisker is limited to just 2,455 bottles.
Nose - Rich, dry and mellow, with a light peppery prickle. Clear maritime top notes speak of seaweed and iodine; their glacial mineral companions suggest slaked lime and salt crystals. Below, complex sweet aromas hint at dried fruits and creamy vanilla, bringing depth and richness. Light smoke threads the background, touched by aromatic sandalwood. A drop of water adds a trace of almond toffee: the other aromas remain, joined by a note of hemp rope.
Palate - The texture is wondrously oil-smooth and mouth-filling; the taste starts toffee-sweet then becomes mouth-wateringly salty and increasingly peppery; even at this age there is a striking intensity to it, and a fine chili ‘catch’. A dash of water integrates these tastes. An attractive saltiness to the toffee now suggests salted caramels, with slightly less pepper.
Finish - Very long, with a glorious chili pepper effect and a trace of candle-wax; this grows in the aftertaste, in which both saltiness and pepper also persist. Saltier if water is added, with less pepper and faint scented smoke.
