Talisker Surge

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 45.8% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: Yes

Special Features:

Talisker Surge brings together the distillery’s maritime, smoky character and pronounced sweetness from bourbon-cask maturation. The single malt matures in first-fill ex-bourbon casks made from American oak. After holding bourbon, these casks are used to mature Scotch whisky for the first time.

The edition was introduced in 2022 for international travel retail. It is offered at 45.8% alcohol in a 0.7-litre bottle. A coastal motif and colourful lightning bolts give the gift packaging its distinctive appearance.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose opens sweetly with wild berries, crème brûlée and banana ice cream. Hints of American cream soda and butterscotch accompany them. Smoky notes of toasted pine nuts then develop, along with a subtle aromatic chilli note.
• Palate: On the palate, the whisky opens gently with sweet brioche and a banana-and-toffee dessert, before preserved peaches emerge. Sweet maritime notes and fresh ginger follow; oak smoke and peppery spice become increasingly pronounced.
• Finish: Hot chilli and ground black pepper initially remain prominent on the finish. The spice fades into a hint of smoke from distant campfire embers. A delicate trace of toasted marshmallows appears at the very end.

Distillery/Bottler:

Talisker stands in Carbost on Loch Harport, on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill founded the distillery in 1830. It now belongs to Diageo. Its history also includes a serious fire in 1960; following reconstruction, production resumed in 1962.

Distillation takes place in two wash stills and three spirit stills. Double distillation replaced triple distillation in 1928, but the unusual distribution of the five stills was retained. The wash stills have distinctive U-shaped lyne arms with a return pipe for condensed material. Traditional worm tubs provide cooling, condensing the vapours inside coiled pipes. This combination of reflux and relatively limited copper contact contributes to the distillery’s individual character.

Facts: