Talisker 40 Year Old 1978

Talisker is the oldest working distillery on the isle of Skye and one of Scotland's most famous coastal / island malts. Founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, the distillery was acquired by the Dailuaine-Talisker Distillers Co. in 1898, who expanded the distillery before selling up to Scottish whisky giant DCL in 1916. The distillery was destroyed by fire in 1960, but was thankfully meticulously rebuilt based on the original plans with replica stills being manufactured to ensure the unique character of the spirit was preserved. The distillery used to have on-site maltings, but these were decommissioned in the early 1970s.

Ageing is American oak casks is preferred, although limited edition barrel finishes are available, and the barley is peated to medium level - around 20 parts per million. Talisker is a distinctive malt - smoky, bold and flavourful. Talisker 10 Year Old is considered by many to be one of the classic modern single malts, while Port Ruighe is aged in ex-Port casks, adding notes of ripe red fruit. Independent bottlings are quite rare when it comes to Talisker, but a great opportunity to taste single cask expressions.