Featured: Talisker 44
Introducing Talisker 44 Year Old | Forests of the Deep
Talisker Forests of the Deep is the second in a new range of rare, highly aged Talisker single malts, inspired by natures elements. This wild whisky was created as a reflection of the power and beauty of our seas and inspired by an expedition led by Parley for the Oceans.
With support from Talisker, Parley undertook an exhibition to raise awareness of the beauty, fragility and importance of sea kelp forests. The expedition visited one of the world's largest sea forests, named 'The Great African Sea Forest' by Parley near the Cape of Good Hope. Talisker cask staves were aboard the exhibition yacht as it explored deep into the sea forests. These staves were later formed into marine oak casks and charred using a small amount of sustainably-sourced Scottish sea kelp.
Born of the sea, Talisker Forests of the Deep has been aged for over four decades and finished in marine oak casks. With only 1,997 bottles released worldwide, this is a limited release crafted from a collection of just 10 casks.
Talisker Forests of the Deep 44 Year Old
Talisker — The Whisky Shaped By Nature
In the most rugged corner of Scotland lies an island that demands respect. Small but powerful, the Isle of Skye is where the elements collide. From rugged shorelines and beastly storms, to warming sunbeams and soaring skies, the nature of Skye has been the inspiration for Talisker whisky since its beginnings 200 years ago. Passionate Talisker craftsmen work in harmony with nature, to create whiskies with bold and distinct characters. This powerfully invigorating spirit of Skye is captured in every drop, a taste of it ignites the explorer instinct within.
What makes Talisker so distinctive? Is it the remote maritime location? Bottling at 80 proof, or 45.8% ABV, as we say today? Or its full-bodied peatiness, smooth maltiness and warming, peppery finish, which makes drinking Talisker feel as though you are drinking in all the rich beauty of a Skye sunset, as the bottle once declared?
For drinkers through the years, it is the peppery “catch” as it slips down that says, “That’s Talisker.” A writer once called it “The lava of the Cuillin,” in a nod to how the rocks of Skye were formed.
But heat is just part of the story.
From the subtle salty aromas in the whisky to the rugged resilience of a distillery that has clung to the shores of a sea-loch on Skye for close to two hundred years, enduring storms, a fire and the ebb and flow of time and tide, Talisker really is ‘made by the sea’. Every day, it shapes the place, its people and their whisky.
When you sip Talisker, you first sense a rich fruity sweetness on the palate (it’s great over ice), then waves of sweet barley malt that open it up as it rolls across the tongue. The growing warmth makes this a great winter dram, too. And finally, that chilli pepper twist in the tail.
Even the massive fire in 1960 that destroyed the stillhouse couldn’t quench Talisker’s heat, though it seemed to set Loch Harport ablaze. The distillery was rebuilt around replica stills, and still uses traditional outside worm tubs to cool the spirit.
Our Talisker Portfolio
The portfolio of whiskies that Talisker boasts, with its core characteristics of sea salt, smoke and pepper bite are as untamed as the landscape in which they’re produced. These are whiskies that are truly made by the sea.
