By the very nature of low long it takes to produce a well-aged single malt, it should come as no surprise that even for enthusiasts like myself, drinking 30 year old whisky is an uncommon occurrence. So many of the whiskies I enjoy throughout the course of a given year fall in the 10-20 year range. When I get to try something that hits the 30 year mark, it’s worth some attention.
While I’m not a huge fan of the medicinal style of peat often found on Islay (see: Trichlorophenylmethyliodosalicyl), I’m more apt to appreciate more subtle peat influence found in some lightly peated Highland malts and in island expressions such as Highland Park and Talisker. Heavily aged single malts also make for a final result that’s often less peat-forward. I’m not sure if the peated notes decrease over time as part of the aging process or if other notes like oak and spice simply take on more of a front seat role as whisky ages past the 20 year mark, but I’ve enjoyed a few Islay expressions that were 35 years old that I probably would have hated at half that age.
In the case of Talisker, I find this distillery to be accessible enough at any age. I’ve had their 25 Year Old cask strength release before and really enjoyed it. This 2017 release of Talisker 30 Year was aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and is bottled at their standard strength of 45.8% ABV.
What happens to this Isle of Skye distillate after three decades of maturation?
