Welcome to the B&B Speakeasy Spirit of the Month!
Our selection for November 2009 will be Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Talisker was founded in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill and has, over the ensuing 179 years, maintained it's distinctly "fiery," moderately peated flavored malt and is now enjoyed the world-over. The distillery uses 5 replicas of the original stills which were destroyed in a fire in 1960, and a condensing "worm tubes" (similar to those often found in hommemade stills) rather than a modern condenser, which some believes permits more robust flavor retention. Talisker was the favorite whisky of writers Henry Vollam Morton and Robert Louis Stevenson, the latter writing in The Scotsman's Return from Abroad, "The king o' drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla, or Glenlivet."
[imga=right]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/18772/full[/imga]Talisker is known for its somewhat spicy character and a high, but not-quite-Islay-high level of peatiness. Located on the Isle of Skye, Talisker famously contains a rather high level of phenols, which can sometimes scare off whisky neophytes. Fans of Johnnie Walker Green Label will recognize the taste however, as Talisker is one of the most noticable malts in the vatted blend. Talisker is distributed by Diaego brands under their "Classic Malts" range, with the most ubiquitous expression being the 10 year-aged, which can be usually be had for ~$55. The 18-year, if you can find it, is another of the best values on the scotch shelf, coming in at $75-80. This expression won "Best Single Malt In The World" in 2007 at the World Whiskies Awards. This expression is intensely flavorful with less phenolic character than the 10, and highly recommended. In addition, since 2000, several special-edition bottlings have been made available through the "friends of the classic malts" program and other limited distributions.
The weather's getting cold again, and that means it's a great season for single malts! Picking something that's widely available around the world should get the SotM club discussion rocking again -- this should be a real crowd-pleaser. Use the thread to discuss your thoughts on whatever Talisker expression you're sipping or have sipped, food/cigar pairings, and general single malt talk in November!
Cheers!!
(and as usual, you can recap all of our Spirit of the Month discussions indexed in the B&B Wiki here!)
Our selection for November 2009 will be Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky
[imga=right]http://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/media/18772/full[/imga]Talisker is known for its somewhat spicy character and a high, but not-quite-Islay-high level of peatiness. Located on the Isle of Skye, Talisker famously contains a rather high level of phenols, which can sometimes scare off whisky neophytes. Fans of Johnnie Walker Green Label will recognize the taste however, as Talisker is one of the most noticable malts in the vatted blend. Talisker is distributed by Diaego brands under their "Classic Malts" range, with the most ubiquitous expression being the 10 year-aged, which can be usually be had for ~$55. The 18-year, if you can find it, is another of the best values on the scotch shelf, coming in at $75-80. This expression won "Best Single Malt In The World" in 2007 at the World Whiskies Awards. This expression is intensely flavorful with less phenolic character than the 10, and highly recommended. In addition, since 2000, several special-edition bottlings have been made available through the "friends of the classic malts" program and other limited distributions.
The weather's getting cold again, and that means it's a great season for single malts! Picking something that's widely available around the world should get the SotM club discussion rocking again -- this should be a real crowd-pleaser. Use the thread to discuss your thoughts on whatever Talisker expression you're sipping or have sipped, food/cigar pairings, and general single malt talk in November!
Cheers!!
(and as usual, you can recap all of our Spirit of the Month discussions indexed in the B&B Wiki here!)
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