talisker

Talisker Bounty Boat Recreates Historic Journey

More than 200 years ago one of the greatest open boat voyages in maritime history took place when Fletcher Christian cast William Bligh and 18 of his men adrift on the ocean in a 23ft open boat. The 19 men sailed more than 3700 miles over 7 weeks in a crowded boat and with no charts and little food or water. Now this year the adventure will take place again, as Australian adventurer Don McIntyre and three other men will attempt to recreate the "Mutiny on the Bounty" by sailing the same route under similar circumstances -- without enough food or water, no charts, and nothing but an 18th century timber whale boat between them and the sea.

The Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition is being sponsored by none other than Talisker single malt Scotch whisky, and despite their obvious hunger for adventure McIntyre and his crew are also hoping to raise more than $250,000 for The Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease to build the world's first research Institute for Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Donate to the cause and follow the boat's progress at bountyboat.com.

Source

Tags: adventure, sailing, scotch, talisker, whisky

Tasting The Classic Malts Selection's Single Malts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Most of the world drinks blended whiskies and there are some good reasons for that. Blended whiskies are the work of master blenders who spend years perfecting their craft. They labor over their work combining single malts from various years to create the perfect taste and then maintain it, bottling after bottling. It is a symphony for the palette.

But there are times you don't want the whole symphony and that's where single malts come in. Single malts are used in the blending of whiskies and each hits a particular note that goes into the blending process. Some are fruity, some are smoky, some are grassy and each reflects its unique heritage. If you like a certain note in some whiskies you can pursue that interest through single malts. The Classic Malts Selection spans a wide range of tastes for whisky lovers who enjoy different tastes. For me, it's the smokies. There's something alchemical about an amber liquid that manages to contain the aroma and taste of smoke. In a recent tasting I attended they had us taste the Lagavulin 12 Year Old from Islay ($74.99) last because it's the one that sticks with you. One sip and you will be tasting smoke on your palate for hours. The sensation is not unpleasant. This is a strong whisky, one best opened up with a little water, but there's also an underlying gentleness beyond the immediate peaty char. The water helps the creamy sweetness underneath develop. It's a bit like a drinkable smoked Gouda. In my hastily-typed iPhone notes I called it a 'mac daddy whisky' not just for the taste but also for a certain sensation of swagger that comes with drinking a whisky so totally given over to the smoke. A less intense but still smoky option is the Talisker Distillers Edition ($79.99) it has a similar paneled library appeal, a nose of woodsmoke and leather and a taste that is smoky but a little more fruit-centered.

Source

Tags: classic malts selection, ClassicMaltsSelection, dalwhinnie, islay, oban, royal lochnagar, RoyalLochnagar, scotch, single malt, single malts, SingleMalt, SingleMalts, talisker, whisky

Continue reading “Tasting The Classic Malts Selection's Single Malts”

Classic Malts for Father's Day

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Earlier we discussed the joys of Johnnie Walker as a prelude to Father's Day. Of course, some people prefer single malt Scotch to blends. The Classic Malts Selection, the world's finest portfolio of Scotch representing all of the major whisky flavor profiles, commissioned a survey to assess the drinking man's preferences both as Father's Day gift givers and receivers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one third of respondents said they would prefer a bottle of high-end spirits to any other gift, and one in three indicated interest in gifting dad with a bottle of single malt. While men typically like to give dad a brand they know he's already fond of, one third said they would try something new if it had a similar taste and style.

Classic Malts has a new tool called the Flavor Map to help find whiskies that fit various taste profiles. You can check out www.Malts.com to view the Flavor Map and find matches. Meanwhile Classic Malts has some tantalizing suggestions. Pictured above are Glenkinchie 12-year-old ($49.99), a Lowland malt with flavors of late-summer fruits and harvest fields, young wood, malted barley and dry, sweet spice; The Singleton of Glendullan ($35.99) from Speyside, robust and sweet with notes of toasted grain, toffee, orange marmalade and brown spices; and Talisker 10-year-old ($49.99) from the Isle of Skye which with notes of dried fruit, peat smoke, barley malt and pepper.

Tags: Fathers Day, FathersDay, Scotch, Scotland, single malt, SingleMalt, Talisker, whisky

Celebrating Father's Day With Johnnie Walker

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Even when dad's not available I like to spend Father's Day with the family – the Johnnie Walker family. They have a Scotch for every occasion, and, as it happens, every dad as well, with five varieties ranging in age, complexity and exclusivity. Having tried (and tried and tried) every blended Scotch on the market over the years, I long ago settled on JW as the best; judging by the Royal Warrant on the bottle, that famous souse the Queen of England agrees. For one thing, it's the only one that's got any real peat to it, and of course we've always been fond of the "Striding Man" on the bottle; We like to think he's striding off in search of a damn drink after a long day's foxhunting, hoping the family is lined up waiting at home. Let's meet 'em:

The classic Red Label (which dates from 1906) and Black Label (1909) are old standbys, of course. We like the former with soda and the latter on the rocks. Originally known as Extra Special Old Highland Whisky in the 1800s, Red Label ($23) is a combination of 30 spicy, smoky malts, such as Talisker, and lingering, lighter grains. It has notes of clove, butterscotch, spice and vanilla, with a robust, smoky character and a warm finish.

Black Label ($34) contains as many as 40 whiskies all aged in oak casks for at least 12 years, including Talisker and Cardhu. The result is a rich combination of dry smokiness, with malt and peat overtones balanced by hints of cedar and fruit, with trademark dark chocolate and vanilla notes.

On to more recent innovations: Green, Gold and Blue Label. Green Label ($60) is actually a blend of 15-year-old Island and Speyside malt whiskies. Notes of spice, green fruit and nutmeg, are accompanied by an aroma of green apples and pears with a hint of sandalwood.

Gold Label ($85) is crafted from blend of 15 different whiskies, each aged at least 18 years. It's a very mellow Scotch, with a creamy, honeyed body and a slight caramel and vanilla nose. Some folk like to freeze it for 24 hours to release its true character as the whisky warms in the mouth.

Finally Blue Label ($220) is the ultimate luxury blend. Many of the rare whiskies come from distilleries that no longer exist, hence the pricetag. The nose has hints of smoke, sherry and fruitcake, while the body is soft and mellow with sherry, honey and vanilla notes married with peat and dark chocolate. The bee's knees.

Tags: Fathers Day, FathersDay, Johnnie Walker, JohnnieWalker, Queen of England, QueenOfEngland, Royal Warrant, RoyalWarrant, Scotch, Talisker, whiskey, whisky

Scottish Hotel Creates Coffee To Go With Whisky

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

A Scottish hotel has created a coffee blended to pair with a whisky. The Cuillin Hills blend was created by the Cuillin Hills hotel on Skye to match whisky from the island's Talisker distillery. The blend was created by Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Company to the specification of Peter Sim, the hotel's general manager and is a mixture of Indonesian and South American beans. The Talisker 18-year-old was used as the pairing companion but the coffee will work with any whisky. The blend has notes of dark chocolate, caramel and toffee with hints of liquorice and cinnamon. Sims says the coffee was developed to "complement and showcase malt whisky as the ideal after dinner drink."

[via Caterer Search]

Source

Tags: coffee, scotland, skye, talisker, whisky

The Classicist: A Killer Collection of Classic Malts

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

The Classic Malts Selection, the prestigious portfolio of single malts from Scotland's six distilling regions, has just introduced a stunning new collection of seven special offerings and rare aged whiskies. The highlight of the special releases is the Oban 18-Year-Old (right), hailing from the Scottish Highlands.

Produced at one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland - whisky has been made there for over 200 years - the Oban is rich, smooth and balanced with a sweet smokiness. Only 7,716 bottles of this special whisky will be available at $149.99 apiece.

The Oban is not the rarest of the releases, however. That honor falls to the Port Ellen 29-Year-Old. From an Islay "ghost distillery," i.e. long closed, it is peaty, mellow and robust. A total of 600 individually numbered bottles are available at $399.99 apiece.

Next in terms of rarity is the Talisker 30-Year-Old. Produced on the Isle of Skye, Talisker is the only distillery in the region. Smoky and rich, the 30 Year is Talisker's oldest and rarest expression to date. Less than 3,000 individually numbered bottles are available at $399.99 apiece.

Another "ghost distillery" offering comes from Brora, a 25-Year-Old. Very rare at this age, the whisky strikes a balance between the smooth Highland malts and peaty Island spirits. Only 456 bottles are available at $349.99 apiece.

Gallery: Killer Classic Malts

In addition to those four rare offerings, three 2008 The Distillers Edition whiskies have been introduced as well, all finished in sherry casks. These include:

* Oban The Distillers Edition – This whisky was double-matured in Montilla Fino Sherry Wood for a delicate yet rich, fruity sweetness with a touch of smoke. $99.99.

* Lagavulin The Distillers Edition - Very smoky Islay spirit. Also double-matured, and further aged in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood casks, giving it a smoky, fruit finish. $109.99

* Talisker The Distillers Edition - Double-matured in Amoroso Sherry casks, which keeps back Talisker's usual pepper, replacing it with luscious sweetness - ripe, juicy fruit and vanilla. $79.99.

"We are incredibly proud to welcome these new expressions into The Classic Malts Selection portfolio," says Rob Mason, Senior Brand Manager for Diageo's Classic Malts Selection. "Demand for rare and special malt whiskies continues to grow each year, and of course some of these now released malts are drawn from a finite and dwindling stock, as their distilleries were closed over 20 years ago, so we feel fortunate to have them available in the US."

Tags: Brora, Classic Malts, ClassicMalts, Lagavulin, Oban, Port Ellen, PortEllen, Scotch, Scotland, Single malt, SingleMalt, Talisker

Tuhaye, Wide Open Spaces And A Golf Course

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Talisker in Park City, Utah is over 10,000 acres that includes a wide variety of developments. The latest is Tuhaye, a collection of mountain retreats surrounding a Mark O'Meara-designed golf course. Ownership at Tuhaye also includes an invitation to the Talisker Club. The Christopher Homes at Tuhaye include cottages, attached homes with two residences per building which range in size from 2,045 to 3,009 square feet and feature three and four bedrooms. There are also cabins, single-family homes that range from 3,112 to over 5,221 square feet and feature three bedrooms with a study, and up to seven bedrooms. These homes start in the upper $1 millions.

Source

Tags: development, park city, talisker, tuhauye, utah

Blended Scotch Whiskies

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Forbes released an article telling us the detailed background on the history of blended Scotch and what to look for in the crowd this year. Master blenders recognize the right components to harmoniously marry single malts to grain whiskies which give us blended Scotch whiskies. An Edinburgh merchant was probably the first to do so in 1853 when he mixed the malt whisky from The Glenlivet with other whiskies to be labeled as Old Vatted Glenlivet, O.V.G. The merge proved to be less aggressive and soothing then the challenging drink of single malts. This and other blends corroborated that two styles of Scotch whisky was more attractive to the general consumer than when sold separately. Even though some of us snobs might refuse to consider Scotch blends, I suggest you give a try from the short list of current respected blends. When a single malt is not around, from the list, I personally enjoy Chivas Royal Salute 21 Year and the 12 Year, Johnnie Walker Gold 18 Year, and Dewar’s Special Reserve 12 Year. What are your favorite blended Scotch whiskies?

Source

Tags: Ambassador Royal Deluxe, AmbassadorRoyalDeluxe, Argyll, Blended malt whisky, Blended Scotch Whiskies, BlendedMaltWhisky, BlendedScotchWhiskies, Cragganmore, Edinburgh, Grain whisky, GrainWhisky, Highlands, Islay, Isle of Skye, IsleOfSkye, Lagavulin, Old Smuggler, OldSmuggler, Pinch The Dimple, PinchTheDimple, Prohibition, scotch, Single malt whisky, SingleMaltWhisky, Speyside, Strathisla, Talisker, Teacher’s Highland Cream, Teacher’sHighlandCream, whiskey, whisky, White Horse, WhiteHorse