I’ve always thought the maritime Talisker character works best with a certain dryness. The sweet Amoroso sherry in the Distillers Edition rounds off its rugged character and smoothens it all out.

I tried the most recent 2016 release of Talisker Distillers Edition and decided to put it against an older sample of the Distillers Edition bottled in 2009 .

Talisker 1998 ‘Distillers Edition’ (45,8%, OB 2009, Amoroso sherry finish, TD-S: 5LX)

Nose: a fairly warm start, with nice smoke and charred wood. There’s some dark chocolate in the background and thick raisins. Red apple. Trademark peppery notes. Hints...