Talisker Distillery

Talisker Distillery

Talisker Distillery

Robert Louis Stevenson mentions Talisker in a poem he wrote in 1880, calling it one of the King o' drinks, as I conceive it'. Talisker was established by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill in 1830 at Carbost on the shore of Loch Harport, set in the lee of Cnoc-nan-speireag-Hawkhill. Hugh was a tacksman, (a gentleman tenant-farmer who leased land to others) and he himself acquired the lease of Talisker House and estate from Macleod of Macleod, the chief laird in Skye. Having cleared the land of people to make room for sheep, he established the distillery.

However it did not prosper and the lease w as taken up by the bank in 1848. In 1857 it was bought by one Donald Maclellan (for .1500), who was married to MacAskill's daughter, but he was sequestrated in 1863. Soon after, it was bought by the distillery's Glasgow agent, John Anderson, who invested heavily in it. In spite of the good reputation Anderson had in the trade, he too was bankrupted in 1879. A year later the distillery was bought by Roderick Kemp and AG Allan, who rebuilt it.

Kemp bought Macallan Distillery in 1892. and Allan merged Talisker with the Dailuaine Distillery in Speyside in 1898. The latter became part of DCL in 1925.

The Talisker distillery was partly rebuilt in 1960 after a fire, and its floor makings were demolished in 1972. It has five stills and continues to have worm tubs rather than column condensers.

Talisker has long been available as a single, is highly regarded by connoisseurs and won a gold medal in the 1993 IWSC. It is now part of United Distillers' 'Classic Malts' portfolio, and its visitor centre welcomes over 40,000 people a year.

   

  Talisker Distillery

Talisker Distillery Tasting Notes

Prop @ 10 Years (45.8%): Mid gold in colour, with a pungent, burnt-sticks nose and a hint of ozone reminiscent of Irish whiskey. It has a big body, a creamy mouthfeel, a smoky, spicy flavour and a distinctive black-peppery finish - Derek Cooper memorably described it as the lava of the Cuillins' (the Cuillins are the dramatic mountains on Skye).

SMWS @15 Years (64.2%): A rich nose full of hot aromas, like a curry - meaty, fruity, exotic, with a hint of planed hardwood. With water there was a rush of fruit and nuts, a dash of vinegar and more than a whiff of smoke. Smooth, but with a cheerful peppery catch in the finish.