It’s beenquite a year so far, but all good things must come to an end. After reviewing only rare and old whisky for the entire month of January, it is now time to give that streak a fitting finale. What whisky to review? How about a Talisker 1974 26 Years Old bottled by Whiskykanzler?
But first let’s do a little retrospective on the past four weeks. I’ve tasted twelve delicious whiskies, all from different distilleries, including some from closed distilleries like Brora, Port Ellen, Convalmore, and Lochside. All except three scored 90 points or higher in my book, for an average of 90,8 points.
The highpoint for me is a tie between the Millburn 1969 35yo Rare Malts and the Glenury Royal 36 Year Old. Both exceptional whiskies, and both now find themselves in my Top 10.
But the best whisky I’ve tasted this month is without a doubt the Lagavulin 21 Years Old from 2007. I tasted it in an informal setting, so that’s why I haven’t written any notes for it. That Lagavulin is a legendary whisky, and rightfully so.
If I ever get the chance to taste it again in a controlled environment, there’s a big chance it will beat out the Macallan 1965 from Signatory Vintage as the best whisky I’ve ever tasted.
Anyway, back to what you came for, tasting notes for a superb Talisker from the 1970’s.
Talisker 1974 26 Years Old (44,7%, Whiskykanzler, Coepenick Collection No. 5)
Nose: Old and classy stuff. The wood influence is wonderful. A coastal first impression, with a fresh sea breeze and the gentlest amount of peat smoke. Lots of fruit. Peaches, passion fruit, and prunes. A touch of tobacco leaves and menthol. Very delicate and superbly integrated.
Taste: More vibrant than I expected, with a decent hit of white pepper, as well as furniture polish, menthol and licorice. A good amount of wood shavings too. A hint of smoke, as well as some caramel, dates and sweet barley. Delicious stuff.
Finish: Long, leaning heavily on menthol, and some aniseed too. Lingering wood smoke.
Rating: 92
Super delicate, nice balance and good complexity.
An incredibly delicious and fitting ending to my extravagant month of January. Or is it? Stay tuned, because I have a special blog post in store for January 30th.
