Origin: Isle of Skye (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 48.2%ABV
Ageing casks: Finished in red wine
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Diageo
Average price: € 70.00
Official website: taliskerwhisky.com
Taking inspiration from the distillery’s location, in May 2025 Talisker launched this limited edition The Wild Blue in recycled glass, which is finished for sixteen months in red wine barrels from wineries on the coast of South Africa.
For each bottle sold, £3 is donated to the Blue Marine Foundation (similar to what was done for Wilder Seas) for a project to preserve marine biodiversity in the Solent Channel in the south of the United Kingdom. the donation is made regardless of sales, for a total of £112,608, which corresponds, if the maths is correct, to 37,536 bottles produced.
Tasting Notes
The finishing is anything but shy on the nose, with an abundance of red fruits including raspberries, currants, wild strawberries and pomegranate, a sweet and tart compote between juice and fresh fruit, tinged with mineral and slightly sulphurous notes. Deeper down, dried apricots, orange marmalade and leavened dough, with a hint of smoke from iodine veins peeking through in the background. In length, the smoke takes shape, moving towards Caribbean cigar with the salty part at times veering towards soy sauce. Characteristic.
On the palate, it reiterates the oenological spirit, with greater evidence of tannins and acidic components accompanied (and enhanced) by black pepper, aniseed and a pinch of ginger. More and more red fruits, with marked citrus inflections (pink grapefruit) and a salinity that still finds expression in fermented sauce (miso), leading to umami, even meaty, evocations in the smokiness of glazed ribs.
The finish is quite long and salty, dark and acidic, with red fruits, spices, miso and extinguished cigar.
Review: The long finishing in wine has heavily marked the whisky, too much for my personal taste, giving a heavy red touch to the character of Talisker, which is barely noticeable. Interesting in certain inflections, but not very balanced.
Vote: 83/100