talisker distillery tour review

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The new Talisker Distillery tour: a sensory sanctuary for Scotch lovers

Words by Kristiane Sherry

Towering mountains and swirling waters run through the DNA of Skye residents. Communities are shaped by the elements, and so too is the whisky made at the island’s oldest working distillery, Talisker. The single malt producer has stood on the Carbost shores, tucked in a western inlet, for almost 200 years. So it’s no surprise that its ‘Made by the Sea’ identity also underpins every aspect of its all-new visitor experience and the Talisker Distillery tours that come with it.

‘Talisker is inseparable from the unique Isle of Skye landscape and its whisky is inherently shaped by the sea and landscape that surrounds it,’ said Barbara Smith, managing director of Diageo’s Scotland Brand Homes, when news of the revamp was first shared in August. And to visit the site on a windswept October day only serves to reinforce this notion.

In fact, what sets the new Talisker Distillery tour and visitor centre apart, even from its Diageo siblings, is this rich sense of place. The spirit of Skye permeates every fixture and fitting. The island is considered with each design nuance. The experience is as distinct as the geography itself. And then the sensory comes to the fore.

Talisker is the sixth Diageo site to benefit from the behemoth £185-million tourism investment first announced in 2018. And like the other recipients, including the Johnnie Walker Princes Street Experience , it offers an aesthetics-led journey (designed by BRC agency), charting a course far from the traditional. Instead of a tour punctuated by fermentation length and still sizes, guests are wowed from the get-go. This is a multi-sensory experience, bringing in the unexpected at every turn. There’s moving-picture, audio, even art installations. You’ll get to know Talisker with your eyes and ears as much as your nose and palate.

On arrival, guests are immediately offered respite from the Scottish chill. A striking electric fire, dressed with scattered, cosy blankets, forms the spine of a relaxed seating area inside the main entrance. Over to the right is a sleek retail space, fitted out with boat-shaped units and merchandise, from hoodies to Christmas baubles, hats to ice trays. A polished bottle-your-own corner, with the same measuring kit and engraving station as installed at other Diageo distillery tours, is already proving popular.

‘We even had a proposal here – he wrote it on a bottle and gave it to his partner down on one knee,’ Talisker Distillery’s events and experiences assistant manager Louise Ellis tells me. A special dram marked the moment: the nine-year-old, 59.8% recharred red wine cask packs a punch, with a haul of red berry sweetness coming through with the signature Talisker smoke. The proposal is a reminder of how much this distillery means to so many of the 75,000 visitors expected each year.

‘Over the summer, we had around 700 people a day,’ calculates Ellis. It’s an astonishing number. But when one considers Skye is the second most-visited part of Scotland after Edinburgh , it becomes less of a surprise.

For visitors, there are now two experiences available, with a third offering due early next year. The most conventional is a distillery tour which accommodates a maximum of 16. It’s incredibly popular, and booking in advance is strongly advised. For £20, guests are walked through the process step by step, from milling to maturation, with three drams to taste at the end. This is a tour for enthusiasts, rather than experts: there’s an emphasis on flavour over facts and figures. ‘It engages people more on different levels,’ says Roger Shann, our distillery guide.

Light, media, music, and of course whisky enrapture the senses for 30 minutes

Then there’s the Made by the Sea Tasting. Guests are ushered into a vibrantly cinematic space that envelops from the outset. Centre-stage is a vast table, inset with a contoured map of the island. Projections are splashed on every wall. What follows can only be described as mesmeric. Light, media, music, and of course whisky enrapture the senses for 30 minutes – from the island to the distillery’s history and the tasting, the production genuinely astonishes. And at £15 for the session, it’s great value, too.

For those suffering from distillery tour fatigue or looking to tick the connoisseur box, there will soon be a Cask Draw and Tasting Experience. At the luxe end of the spectrum, guests will taste through five live casks alongside an expert and in a warehouse that’s been given a glossy makeover. All whiskies will be distinct from the core range, and part of an in-depth discovery lasting 90 minutes.

For sampling, two beautifully designed tasting rooms have found a home in old warehouse buildings. And if guests want more, there are two bars. The first serves drams, located next to that beautiful fire. The second, the Wild Spirits Bar in a separate building, offers widescreen views over Loch Harport and the mountains beyond. Its menu has cocktails – we savoured the Merlion Martini – as well as drams, plus locally-sourced snacks. The vision was to curate a warm, welcoming space where tourists and Skye residents could seek shelter from the oft-inclement elements. It certainly provided us with safe harbour, and a space to drink in the views through the raindrop-lined glass.

Does the sleekness of the new Talisker experience strip back the charm of a heritage distillery? It’s certainly an elevation. What the team do well is to balance a working site with the need for a refreshed take on the distillery tour. The line between convention and cliche is a tricky one to walk. Die-hard traditionalists may not like it, but at Talisker Distillery, it’s handled with ease.

Talisker Distillery is open to the public seven days a week from 10am. Closing times vary throughout the year. Booking for Talisker Distillery Tours is recommended via Malts.com . The Cask Draw and Tasting experience is expected to open in early 2023.

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Some ramblings on our travels around the world, a guide to skye’s talisker distillery: why you should visit.

November 1, 2023

You need not be a whisky lover to enjoy a visit to Talisker’s Distillery. The distillery is located in a beautiful setting, on the banks of Loch Harport from where one can view the imposing Cuilin mountain range. If you are a fan of whisky then you will be happy to know it’s the oldest working distillery on the Isle of Skye and its whiskey is world-renowned. It was our favorite Distillery to visit in the highlands along with the Oban Distillery in the western highlands. After undergoing an exciting renovation project, Talisker Distillery re-opened its doors to the public in August 2022. Below we present our Talisker Distillery Travel Guide intended to help you get the most out of time at Talisker and the surrounding area. Given their proximity to one another, you can easily combine a visit to Sligachan Bridge and/or the Fairy Pools with a visit to the Talisker Distillery.

Orientation – Where is Talisker Distillery?

Talisker distillery tour options, where to eat nearby, nearby attractions.

Disclosure : This page (Guide to Skye’sTalisker Distillery) may contain product affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. More details can be found  on our disclosure and policies page .

You might also be interested in these pages : Top Things to See and Do on Skye 4-Day Roadtrip Isle of Skye Itinerary Isle of Skye Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go Where to Stay on the Isle of Skye Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails

Perhaps surprisingly, Talisker Distillery is not actually located in the village of Talisker, but rather in the nearby village of Carbost, in central-western Skye. The distillery is 28 km from Portree ( a 30-minute drive ) and 50 km from the Skye Bridge ( a 50-minute drive ).

Hours : 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, from March to October ( reduced hours the rest of the year ). Note that during winter the distillery may have to close at short notice due to weather conditions.

Parking : Free in the large car park by the distillery.

Costs : Depends on choice of tour (see below)

Facilities : Toilets, wifi, gift shop.

For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our  Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide . For advice and tips that are more specific to Skye with a focus on single-track roads, check out our  Isle of Skye Road Trip Driving Guide . If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using  Discover Cars  to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.

If you would prefer not to drive yourself, another option could be to join a Skye group tour , several of which have planned stops at the Talkiser Distillery.

Talisker Distillery History and Accolades

Talisker is not only the oldest distillery on Skye, it was in fact the ONLY one until 2017. After first opening its doors in 1830 thanks to the efforts of the MacKaskill brothers, ownership of the distillery subsequently changed hands a few times (and included a bankruptcy) up until 1880 when a better standard of management was brought in by Alexander Grigor Allan and Roderick Kemp, at which point the distillery was rebuilt and then later extended in 1900. They also constructed a distillery pier – until then all the casks had to be floated out to waiting ships. Sadly, a fire destroyed the stillhouse and most of the distillery in 1962, halting production for two years. Fortunately, the owners at the time were quick to rebuild and later renovated the distillery with key modernizations in 1972. Most of what you see today dates from then, with the exception of the visitor’s center which was fully renovated in 2022.

In 2007 Talisker’s 18-year-old won “Best Single Malt In The World 2007” at the World Whiskies Awards. In 2015 Talisker’s 10-Year-Old won a Double Gold Medal and “Best Single Malt Scotch up to 12 years” in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In fact, the 10-, 18-, 25- and 30-year Taliskers have been awarded mostly gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

In addition to its signature 10-year-old, Talisker produces a selection of single malt whiskies for a range of different styles and tastes. The spirit is most frequently matured in American oak casks.

The Talisker family of whiskies all have a smoky flavour and aroma, which comes from the peat burned during the malting process. Additionally, the water used for production, from Cnoc nan Speireag (Hawk Hill), flows over peat which adds additional complexity to the whisky. The whiskies are not particularly sweet to the palate. You’ll also notice a distinct hint of saltiness stemming from nearby sea air, in addition to a very noticeable yet subtle characteristic finish of cracked pepper.

There are several tour options at Talisker, but the most popular by far is the basic “Talisker Distillery Tour”, (£20 per person, (2023)) given by one of the Distillery’s passionate guides. This tour will last about an hour, roughly split into two parts: 1) a tour of the distillery and a crash course on the production process, and 2) a tasting of 3 drams of Talisker’s award-winning single malts. This is the tour we did and truly we had a blast. The tour was fantastic, informative and a lot fun. The whisky tasting was really enjoyable as well.

Other tour options include an extended 90-minute tour that includes a tasting straight from the cask (“The Talisker Cask Draw and Tasting experience”, £150 per person) and a shorter 30-minute immersive tasting tour (“Talisker Made By the Sea Tasting Experience”, £15).

Regardless of your tour of choice, it’s wise to book ahead . The tours are very popular and it is almost impossible to just show up and join a tour, particularly during the summer (we tried and failed!)

Carbost is a very small town with limited eating options, but those that are there are quite good.

Caora Dhubh Coffee Company – a small coffee shop right across the street from the distillery with delicious sandwiches and pastries. Though there is no indoor seating, there are several lakeside picnic tables to enjoy the food with a view.

The Oyster Shed – Here you can enjoy delicious fresh seafood in a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere.

The Old Inn & Waterfront Bunkhouse – your only option for a proper sit-down meal with service.

Though not a dining option, we wanted to highlight Lou Lou Designs on Skye , located further uphill from the Oyster Shed. We had a brief moment of car trouble in the area and the owners were ever so kind and helpful to us. They sell beautiful handmade Harris Tweed handbags so please check them out!

The Fairy Pools – A beautiful walk with stunning mountain and waterfall vistas. A classic Skye shot walk where you will be surrounded by stunning scenery. Beautiful cascades, water pools, and the imposing Cuillin Mountains. The trailhead is located a short 15-minute drive from the distillery.

Sligachan Old Bridge and Waterfall – A more than worthy photo stop along Skye’s main road. A short walk will also take you to a scenic waterfall. Located a short 15-minute from the distillery.

Dunvegan Castle – Visit Skye’s most impressive and well-preserved castle. The castle is located about a 30-minute drive from Talisker Distillery.

Town of Portree – Take a stroll through Skye’s largest town and its colourful harbour homes. The colorful town is a short 25 minutes away.

Eilean Donan – Although it’s not quite on Skye, it’s without a doubt a worthy stop on your way in or out of Skye.

Neist Point Lighthouse – A beautiful drive along a long and winding road will take you to the stunning vistas of Skye’s most photogenic lighthouse. It’s a little more of a journey to get here from Talisker, about a 60-minute drive.

Talisker Bay – To find yourself on a beach between sea stacks, cows and a stunning waterfall. A true hidden gem on Skye. Only a short 15-minute drive away from the distillery.

Trotternish Peninsula – A must-visit when on Skye. Not a single attraction but rather a collection of several, including several waterfalls and hiking trails including the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr.

Preparing a trip to the Highlands?

You might be interested in these pages : Top Things to See and Do on Skye 4-Day Roadtrip Isle of Skye Itinerary Isle of Skye Travel Guide: Things to Know Before You Go Where to Stay on the Isle of Skye Skye’s Best Hiking and Walking Trails

Preparing a trip to Scotland?

You might be interested in these Scotland pages : 10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands) Scotland Driving Guide and Tips 7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands We also highly recommend these guidebooks : Rick Steves Scotland Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands

Photography Gear

If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations. Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL) Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug

Other Travel Essentials

Travel Insurance SafetyWing  is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats. e-Sim cards Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of. Car Rentals Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there. Transfer from Airport Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US). Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024). Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)

Photography Prints

If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints . Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.

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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Guide to Skye’s Talisker Distillery and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to Scotland’s beautiful Isle of Skye.

You might also be interested in these related pages:

Isle of Skye Road Trip Travel Guide: Tips and Things to Know Before You Go

Skye’s Epic Drive: Trotternish Loop Travel Guide

Where to Stay on Skye – Scotland Travel Guide

Neist Point Lighthouse Travel Guide

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Talisker Distillery

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TALISKER DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Talisker Distillery

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Talisker Distillery - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

Talisker Distillery

Review Highlights

“ We were lucky and happened to have Louise as our tour guide -- but I suspect all the guides are great. ” in 4 reviews

“ Enjoyed tasting the Talisker 10, Skye, Dark Storm , and Distiller's Edition as well as teh Talisker 18 (which was delicious)! ” in 2 reviews

“ We booked our distillery tour plenty of time in advance , and I'm glad we did, it was sold out. ” in 3 reviews

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Really great distillery to visit. It was part of our Rabbies tour of Skye. Would definitely recommend.

Worth a visit while in Portree...beautiful, modern facilities and delicious whisky! We did not have time for the tour, but took full advantage of the great, reasonably priced tasting. The tasting room was beautiful and reasonably priced and Talisker has a lot of great options as far as whisky preferences are concerned. Enjoyed tasting the Talisker 10, Skye, Dark Storm, and Distiller's Edition as well as teh Talisker 18 (which was delicious)! Staff were friendly and professional, but a bit rushed. Overall a solid 4-star experience.

We booked our distillery tour plenty of time in advance, and I'm glad we did, it was sold out. And with good reason! The new guest facility and whisky shop is nothing less than spectacular. Our tour guide was Allison, she was knowledgeable, answered all my questions, and was very charming. Oh, and the whisky is obviously wonderful. Do it!

We stopped at the formally only distillery on the isle of Skye (now it's the oldest) for a tour of the facility and for a tasting. The tour is around 45 minutes - 1 hour and is pretty interesting, especially seeing some of the older equipment they use. For £10 you get the tour and a tasting of one of their scotch whiskeys which is a fair value. I tried the 25 year and it is delicious. They usually have at least one bottle you can't buy anywhere but the distillery. If you are going in the summer be prepared for a bit of a mad house. The distillery gets VERY busy and can be a bit stressful. If you're a fan of whiskey or scotch in particular I recommend stopping if you're in Skye to try some of their peaty, delicious booze!

We arrived as a tour group and we were not able to get a tour of the distillery for some reason. We went to the gift shop and still were not able to get any tasting flights of the Scotch for some reason. Our guide had to pretty please the staff and eventually, we all got samples of Talisker Storm, but I was hoping for some distillery-exclusive drams. Inside the gift shop were several bottles to take home including some very rare ones. However, the experience wasn't too different from a duty-free shop as we missed out on the tour.

The wife and I arrived a few minutes before the 200pm tour. There was only one space left for this tour and the gal said they can't go one person over the limit. Is one person more that big of a deal? We didn't want to wait around for an hour for the next tour. And unlike Oban and Dalwhinnie, they don't have a tasting bar. Lame. We looked around for a couple minutes, used the toilets, and left.

I loved this place. It was probably my 5-6 distillery tour and felt the most "real." The feeling of the place just is so different, it's by the water, and you can smell the air that goes into the whisky (dunno if that's true but i smell it whenever I drink it now). Our tour guide had been there for years and felt comfortable answering all our questions and showing off the distillery. We had a wonderful tasting after the tour and really learned a lot about the flavors and what makes the distillery special! We took home a bottle of the storm as well as the 18 year. After the tour and tasting we even went for a little walk across the street on the shoreline, lovely outing.

We stopped in knowing the tours were booked, so I am only reviewing the tasting. I chose the elite flight- it came with incredibly large pours of 3 scotches, that ran the gamut of honeyed to a bit smoky/peppery to full bodied, sherry cask aged. You also get water and dropper in case you want to add a few drops to open up the flavors. I was feeling pretty buzzed (I'm a cheap date. HAHAHA), so it was good the Old Inn was down the road so I could get some food in me. Definitely worth a stop!

This is my second visit to Talisker and having now had an interim visit to Islay I was disappointed in Talisker . Essentially , as the only distillery on the island , it serves as a must for many tourists of which there are many . Owned by Diagio it feels more like a money making machine and lacked the warmth of Islay hospitality . The distillery shop is busy and many opt to purchase products here . As well as Talisker products they also sell other Diagio brands such as Lagavulin , Oban and Caol Isla . The distillery tour is busy and should be booked in advance and costs 8 pounds per person . An increase from 6 pounds 2 years ago . The tour is interesting and there is an opportunity for a wee dram at the end . I personally preferred Islay and the fact that there are 9 distilleries they are much more customer orientated .

This tour is a definite "must do" for Isle of Skye visitors. Internet sign up closes 48 hrs in advance (best for a convenient time-slot) but walk-ups are sometimes available too. Plan ahead and don't get shut out. We were lucky and happened to have Louise as our tour guide -- but I suspect all the guides are great. This is about a 45-min. tour with detailed explanations of the malting, fermentation, distillation and maturation processes. You observe this all closeup, depending on what's happening in the distillery at that moment. For instance, no barley was in the drying process but the huge copper vessel where this takes place was warm and toasty. The fermentation tanks were open for viewing through windows down into the humongous casks, something that might not be available on those days when they're steam-cleaning the 53,000 liter wooden casks. You may not see much actually going on in the distillery on the tour other than the slow drying of sprouting barley, the murky bubbling of the fermentation process, the imagined flow of alcohol vapors, or the silent "resting" of rows of wooden casks of whisky that may have been sitting there, undisturbed, since long before you were even born. Finally, there is a really cool whisky tasting (with a rather generous pour) where you learn to appreciate what just several drops of water can do to enhance the wonderful Talisker whisky. (They use a special pipette.) Louise was the very best guide, pleasant and energetic while making sure everyone was involved in the tour. She helped us in the shop too, offering us a sample of the Talisker Distillery Exclusive. You won't regret spending some of your valuable holiday time on this adventure.

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Talisker Distillery

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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TALISKER DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

The Dramble

The path less trodden.

Bottle Name:  Talisker Distillery Exclusive

You can’t have it both ways. Folks regularly bemoan distillery-only bottlings – an unfair limitation on their god given rights to obtain whisky. All the whisky. A slap in the face for an increasingly FOMO obsessed fan base. “Can’t I just order it online and have it delivered?” And yet, distillery exclusives are still one of the first things which enthusiasts enquire about when visiting distilleries “what have you got which I can’t get anywhere else?”. There’s double-standards at play when it comes to distillery exclusives - they’re only loved when they’ve already been acquired.

Distillery-only bottlings * can * be a wonderful thing – in some cases offering the additional experience of bottling your own. A memory of the moment and a liquid memory to reflect back on in at a later time. I’m taken-back that some distilleries never offer a distillery exclusive bottling – it just seems such a no-brainer both from an experiential/tourist point of view, but also commercially. Find cask, put cask in shop, profit. There are right ways and there are wrong ways to go about putting on distillery-only bottlings. Accessibility is always an issue – and physical accessibility is what tend to upset people when it comes to distillery exclusives. Can’t get there? Don’t have any friends? Can’t afford to pay a bus load of people to visit Chichibu on a raiding party? Then no chance. But at the same time, price accessibility is also a huge thing. A couple of years ago I took some folks up to visit Glendronach – at the time, not a particularly stunning tour experience…despite being the first of a dozen distillery videos I was going to have to watch that week. Nevertheless, the Glendronach handfill is a thing….but not when it’s presented at close to £300 with no opportunity to even try before you buy. That’s the opposite of accessible. And for me, a hard no. There are certainly some very wealthy people who visit distilleries – catering for their tastes (and budgets) is no problem, and indeed canny. But not at the expense of 95% of your other visitors. Here’s an idea – why don’t you put on two distillery-only options? Or, take a leaf out of the Tomatin playbook and just rack them up like a beer festival. Something for everyone. Job done. Similarly you have to ensure that there’s enough of the stuff to go around. And trust me, through recent experience I’ve been part of a team who have learnt this the hard way. You haven’t got an exclusive if it’s all flown out the distillery so fast that it hasn’t even hit the shelves. Supply and demand - and the judgement of both. And here we come to the crux of today’s piece – I do firmly believe that a distillery exclusive should be an opportunity to present something truly unique, not just notionally unique. I.E. not just limited because the label says so. None of these distillery-only options are cheap, so I think its fair game to suggest that anyone who’s tempted to buy one is either a) impressed enough with the distillery’s wares b) an existing fan of the distillery’s style c) Looking something distinctive to take home with them d) all of the above. As such, an offering which is tangentially different to a distillery’s core products – by style, ABV etc – is a much more interesting prospect to be offering for folks to buy when they’ve made the effort to visit to a distillery. I don’t just want your standard 12 year old with a different label design. Distillery-only bottlings can be treated as something as a test bed for future releases. A limited foray into the weird and left-field. Glen Moray in this regard is an excellent example – a regular range of diverse distillery-only (kinda, if you’re on the list you can get it posted – they’ve unsurprisingly very happy to sell the things) bottlings, some of which you might well see (based on feedback) developed into wider releases at a later date. An ideal situation – visitors get to try and take away something distinctive, and the distillery gets to both broaden its visitor offering, and do some consumer testing. Win Win. But all too often distillery exclusives are lazy. A stray ex-bourbon cask. Nothing particularly remarkable beyond being a single cask. And whilst this will not doubt sell quite nicely all the same, the path less trodden is oft-times much more interesting, as today’s review will attest. Talisker’s 2019 distillery exclusive is an NAS that has been triple matured. An initial period in refill oak casks, then heavily charred American oak hogsheads and finally some time in European oak puncheons. Though the distillery’s website listing for the exclusive makes this sound more like a vatting of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry in to the heavily charred casks. Either way – one of these two things. 6,000 bottles were produced at 48% ABV – and in zero surprise are only available for those making the journey to the Isle of Skye home of Talisker. Nose : Initially quite leathery with notes of welding aprons, saddleback bags and heavy jackets. Brown sugars are joined with reduced jammy red berries, whilst liquorice and placid pepperiness meets a vein of dainty ashy peatiness (abridged when compared to many Talisker expressions). Waffles and batter bring additional sweet cues – the amalgamation akin to a delicately smoked berry strudel. Moist earthiness and wild honey run in the background with notes of farmyard hay. Reduction presents orange zest, waterlogged felled wood and bonfire that has just started to kindle. Taste : The arrival offers vivid candied lemon peels and squeezed oranges – both sweet and tart – alongside salted caramel, dark chocolate and burnt toffee. Smoke is more pronounced here – though still restrained by the maturation regime – blackened toast, hearth ash and enduring wood smoke. The addition of water brings the fruit complement to the fore – bright, sherry-forward raspberries and strawberries alongside icing sugar, barley water and some chalky minerality. Finish : Medium with tart red fruits, pink peppercorns and fading peat and wood smoke. A distillery exclusive whose triple maturation not only feels impactful, but also results in an expression which presents a rather different viewpoint on the spirit. And that may or may not appeal. Talisker purists will find reduced coastalness, reduced pepperiness and a lighter overall smoke level. Despite the decent ABV, this is not the sort of wallop that the distillery delivers in its other expressions. However, on the flip side, each of the three casks has had a discernible influence on the spirit and the amalgamation feels is layered and well-integrated. It’s undeniably Talisker, but at the same time, undeniably altered. And in my view that’s just the sort of thing which distillery exclusives should be offering – a path less trodden for those willing to make the journey.

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Distilleries

Looking out over the breathtaking scenery of the Cuillin Hills , Talisker distillery stands proudly by the sea on the shores of Loch Harport . It is a place of legend and wonder, where folk tales have been passed down through countless generations.

With a fire in our bellies we harness the elements of Skye to craft a whisky that invigorates your spirit and invites you to explore. Awaken your senses with our range of tours, experiences and guided tastings.

Talisker welcomes

The three chimneys.

Experience the flavours of Skye through an exclusive collaboration between Talisker and The Three Chimneys, set at the distillery’s newly designed waterfront space. From February to April 2024, Head Chef Scott Davies curates this testament to Skye’s culinary heritage, focusing on local provenance and sustainability.

Talisker distillery tour

Take a journey with one of our passionate guides and discover how the Isle of Skye influences the taste of Talisker, while enjoying three tastings of our single malt.

Made by the sea tasting experience

This multi-sensory tasting session takes you through the Talisker story while your palate comes alive with three expressions of our single malt in a guided tasting.

Cask draw & tasting experience

An unforgettable experience of drawing a Talisker whisky straight from the cask and hearing the stories of the history, people and passion that make Talisker so special. Go on a flavour journey tasting five cask strength Talisker whiskies, exclusively available at Talisker distillery.

Protecting the wild oceans

Talisker holds a deep love for the beauty of the oceans and is committed to protecting them for the future wild spirits and those that share our passion.

Every sip of Talisker is a sip of Skye. A place where the elements collide to create a liquid so raw, yet refined. A taste of rugged luxury that can only be made by the sea.

Our collection of single malts are a celebration of nature’s elements, starting with our purest expression, Talisker 10, through to the rare and exceptional, Talisker 30.

As a whisky made by the sea, we are committed to protecting the oceans, the most important ecosystem of our planet, by supporting projects for ocean preservation.

Direct from the makers

Shop our collection of Talisker expressions, including Special Releases and Distillers’ Editions not available anywhere else.

Learn about our latest releases straight from the distillery

Skye Visitor Centres

Talisker distillery.

The oldest working distillery on the Isle of Skye, set on the shores of Loch Harport in the village of Carbost.

Visit us for a tour of the Distillery, see our 5 copper pot stills and the traditional worm tubs that make our Talisker so unique, then take a look at the casks in the warehouse where the Angel’s Share is lost to evaporation during maturation. Have a taste of our award winning Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky in our Visitor Centre.

More Information

Talisker Distillery

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Talisker Distillery - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Talisker Distillery

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TALISKER DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Talisker Distillery

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

Talisker Distillery - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

2021 Talisker The Distillers Edition

OVERALL RATING

Whisky Review: 2021 Talisker The Distillers Edition

• by Ian Arnold
• June 5, 2022

Tasting Notes:

Editor’s Note: This whisky was provided to us as a review sample by Diageo. This in no way, per  our editorial policies , influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

In movies a good director’s cut accomplishes a couple of things. You get a bit more of what you love, maybe a surprise or two, and maybe some more character development that wasn’t in the original. This applies to a good distiller’s edition as well. This review is one of several reviews looking at the 2021 Classic Malts Distillers Editions from Diageo ( click here for the other reviews in this series). Everything in this product line starts by being aged in a barrel that is re-charred American oak with “crocodile-skin” charred new American oak ends. Then each distillery uses a different style of fortified wine to finish their spirit. 

This review is for the 2021 Talisker The Distillers Edition. Talisker is a distillery on the Isle of Skye. It was the only one on the island until Torabhaig opened in 2017. Their flagship product is the 10-year-old single malt . They run two 10,000 liter wash stills and three 7,500 liter spirit stills. Their whisky has a phenol content of 20 to 25 ppm, which puts them at the lower end of peated whisky. All of their whisky is stored on the coast or very close to it in warehouses where they are only stacked two high. 

The 2021 Talisker The Distillers Edition is double matured in American oak and ex-Amoroso Sherry casks. Amoroso sherry is a style made by adding some Pedro Xerminez to Oloroso sherry . This is a dark full bodied style that normally has notes of dried fruit, caramel, and nuts. Oloroso is aged at a higher proof to keep flor from forming. Flor is a layer of yeast that can form during fermentation and aging. Oloroso has a high glycerol content that allows it to be perceived as sweeter, even though it is naturally dry. 

Talisker is a great introduction to maritime flavors and light peat. The use of the Amoroso casks in finishing their whisky provides a lovely complement and lessens the intensity of what are very polarizing flavors. Talisker is a brand I have enjoyed for many years and their flagship product, annual release, and one off bottlings have all been things I enjoyed. I drank a flight of the 10-year-old, The Distillers Edition, and the Special Reserve Game of Thrones release while writing this. Their 10-year-old release, while not quite as interesting as The Distillers Edition, continues to be my preferred bottling. The maritime quality I enjoy so much gets subdued in The Distillers Edition making for something I see as being more approachable. 

Tasting Notes: 2021 Talisker The Distillers Edition

Vital Stats: 45.8% ABV. Distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2021. Aged in new American oak and ex-Amoroso sherry casks.

Appearance: It is an orangish honey color. It forms a few thick tears that fall quickly, followed by slow smaller ones.

Nose: It smells of sweet peat. The nose is a combination of caramel, petrichor, and a faint smoke like a distant campfire.

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Palate: It starts off with notes of caramel and peat, then progresses into a very earthy and slightly medicinal midpalate. Subtle mesquite bbq flavor on the finish is accompanied by an astringency that reminds me of lemon essential oil dropped right on the tongue. For those who did not grow up with a parent into essential oils I will try my best to explain this sensation. It is the feeling of an oil rolling across the tongue while both drying it out and fully taking over the flavor profile. Like that, but much more subtle. Peat is more present in flavors of earthiness than it is in smoke.

The addition of water brings cherry to the front palate and lets the smoke come out on the mid palate, but keeps all of the other flavors. Just a bit of water eliminated that bit of astringency on the finish as well.

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Ian Arnold was a bartender for 8 years. Having worked in California, Australia, and Portland, he last bartended at the Multnomah Whisk(e)y Library. He was part of the Oregon Bartenders' Guild's leadership and was a judge for multiple cocktail competitions. He now works in the IT field and continues to use his bartending skills to entertain guests. When off of work he will often be found playing board games and sipping on Japanese Whisky.

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Talisker Distillery

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TALISKER DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)