Talisker Storm

"The king o' drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker."
 – Robert Louis Stevenson

Talisker distillery was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskil at Carbost, on the the Isle of Skye. In all these years Talisker's distillation method has remained virtually the same, refusing to go with the flow of the industry, other than with the necessary health and safety improvements. As the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker's drams are quite idiosyncratic, defining an Island malt style that is their very own.

Their latest release is the Talisker Storm. It's a no age statement Whisky comprised of a blend of Talisker's single malts, aged between 3 to 25 years in a mix of refill and rejuvenated casks (older casks which have been de-charred and re-charred to give them a new lease on life, imparting wood influence when again filled with spirit).

Talisker Storm is a mighty fine showcase of a significant shift in the single malt Whisky space toward focusing on the character of a Whisky over its age. In this instance, you'll never feel that the lack of a specified age is about conserving precious stocks of older Whiskies. Storm has won many awards in the past two years, including Whisky Advocate's Highlands/Islands Single Malt of the Year. Whisky purists might not like it, but so what, Tasting is Believing, remember?