Talisker 20, 1981 (USA) Tasting Notes and Ratings.

Talisker 20, 1981 (USA)

Added on Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009 at 08:53 PM

Bottler:

Age:	20 yrs	Type:	Scotch
Vintage:	1981	Subtype:	Single Malt
ABV:	59.70 %	Region:	Island
Price:	N/A	Availability:	Collectors Only

Bottled 2002.

Member Ratings and Notes

Chris

N: Smokey sherry nose with plenty match stick sulfur.
P: Resinous peat and sherry, actually reminds me of Lagavulin 21 to a certain extent but with an extra layer of sulfur spice (as odd as that sounds, it's a good thing). Very huge syrupy stuff.
F: Long smoke, long smoke, long smoke.
The 62% UK version was very similar and (on several re-tastes) definitely had a sulfur component to it, but I think it may be a bit stronger and slightly over the top in this one. Or maybe I was just expecting it this time so it seems more prominent. So I'll go A- for now until I can do a side-by-side.

Mike

N: Talisker! Extinguished candles, hot apple cider on the stove, cherries. Mmmmm.

P: Hot! Big, fresh peat turns to spicy peppers. By a campfire smoking cloves.

F: Spicy peppers linger and turn into fading awesomeness. Great whisky.

Dave

One of my favorite malts of all time. Great dark deep sweet peaty/salty peppery notes with candle wax and burnt wooden matches.

Nose of slight charcoal, pepper and also a bit sweet. Initial smoke on the palate, followed by sherry and caramel flavors, with a long, wonderful, well-balanced finish. Excellent.

Fuji

Blind retaste

N: Candied/ stewed fruits, heather, tobacco, leather, apples and graphite

P: Peppers, peat, stewed fruits and some wood

F: Sweet licorice finish

A bit different than the UK release. It has much of the core stuff from the UK version (stewed fruits, leather, tobacco and smoke) but it was packaged differently. This was distinctly more spicy and not as sweet and I got a little more wood from this. You can't go wrong with any of the 1981 20's.

Ries

n: Aged sherry, very prominent. Deep, dried red fruits (cherry and strawberry)

t: Sherry bomb, more red dried fruit covered in smoked sea salt. Long sherry notes on a salted wheat cracker.

Talisker "Skye Flight Night" (Feb 12, 2012 Partio) [A/A-]

n: interesting martime nose of charred driftwood and dry red fruits. Buttercream smoothness, grey sea salt, and dense brine; like a smouldering pirate ship.

t: wow, follows the nose exactly but even more amplified; very savoury and complex. Smoky, sweet, sour, fruity, salty, and spicy. Bottle 1989

Blind retaste (July 25, 2014), [solid A, bordering on A+]

Dan

Love this one. Would like to do a side by side, but off memory, I slightly prefer the UK release. The nose on this is big and nice, peaty, maritime qualities. The palate obviously has more of that sweet peat combo, with some oak. Can't read all of my notes, but I did write it is "just fucking delicious, so drinkable". Classic Talisker. A-/A [7/25/14]

Sku

Nose: Peat and sherry in equal parts.

Palate: Peat, sherry, salt, syrupy mouthfeel.

Finish: Peat and sea water.

At once coastal, peaty and sherried. Really good.

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