Single Malt Whisky, Scotland/Highlands – Skye

Selected for the Old Particular range, which has been dedicated to cask strength single malts and single grains since 2013, this bottling takes us to the Isle of Skye and more specifically to the banks of Loch Harport, home to the Talisker distillery. Founded in 1830 by brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill and equipped with two wash stills and three spirit stills, until 1928 Talisker was one of the rare distilleries in the country to practice triple distillation. A large part of the site’s buildings were destroyed in a fire on 22 November 1960. After being mothballed for two years, the distillery was then rebuilt exactly as it had stood before in 1962. This Talisker is equipped with a rustic and authentic character and reveals notes of minerals, gravel and salt. The highly contrasting palette of flavours and aromas alternates between bright, serene and explosive sequences that announce a coming storm.

Nose: Both refined and powerful. A shrewd blend of fruit (ripe apple, candied lemon), animal (shellfish, smoked bacon), iodine and mineral salt notes, the nose immediately makes itself known. Equally intense aromas of peat, smoke, ash and heady florals (lily, hyacinth) follow.

Palate: Clean, lively. A smoky and liquorice peat accompanied by black pepper launches an attack on a creamy palate underscored by vanilla and milky notes of coconut and almond. Marine plants (sea aster, samphire) draw the palate out, evoking a landscape of salt marshes.

Overall: Full, slender. The finish combines peat, oil, a crackling fire and empyreumatics with deep malt flavours (barley porridge). On the retro-nasal olfaction, lemon zest, green olive and pistachio unite to form an energetic sequence. The empty glass is intensely floral (lavender, violet)