Talisker
| Talisker | |
|---|---|
 The Talisker distillery |
|
| country |
 Scotland
|
| region | Iceland |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 18 '8.5 " N , 6 ° 21' 21" W |
| Type | Paint |
| status | active |
| owner | Diageo |
| Founded | 1830 |
| founder | Hugh & Kenneth MacAskill |
| Washstill (s) | 2 × 14,706 l |
| Spiritstill (s) | 3 × 11,024 l |
| Production volume | 2,000,000 l |
| Website | Talisker's homepage |
The Talisker -Brennerei is a distillery for whiskey on the island of Skye in Scotland . The distillery belongs to the spirits group Diageo (formerly United Distillers ); the whiskey is marketed as part of the Group's Classic Malts series.
history
The Talisker distillery was built in 1831 - a year after it was founded elsewhere - by the brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill in the town of Carbost on the banks of Loch Harport . The name is derived from the Talisker House , a few miles west in the mountains. After the brothers died, Donald MacLennan took over the distillery, but because he was not a good businessman, he went bankrupt after a few months . JRW Anderson then took over the distillery, but suffered the same fate and in 1880 was jailed for fraud. He had allegedly sold whiskey that was still in store and was not available. However, this did no harm to the Talisker's reputation itself. Robert Louis Stevenson counted the Talisker in a poem among the king o 'drinks (Eng: "kings of drinks").
The next owners were more successful. Alexander Grigor Allan, financial manager of Morayshire and Roderick Kemp, wine - and liquor dealer from Aberdeen , built the distillery again until a production volume of 40,000 gallons had a year. In 1892 Allan became the sole owner. After his death, the administrators founded the Talisker Distillery Co LTD , which a little later merged with the Dailuaine distillery to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries LTD .
In 1900 a pier was added to the distillery , which allowed ships to dock at any water level. Furthermore, a field railway was built to connect the production facilities and houses for the employees. In 1916, after manager Thomas MacKenzie's death, a consortium including John Walker & Sons took over the majority of the shares. From this consortium the DCL (Distillers Company Ltd.) emerged in 1925 . In 1928, the distillery switched the production process from being distilled three times to distilling twice, which is still used today.
In November 1960 the production facility was destroyed by fire. Carelessly, one of the valves on spirit still number 1 was left open before the burning process began. Since the stills were still heated with coal at that time, the overflowing distillate ignited and set the building on fire. In 1962, the distillery was rebuilt true to the original to keep the original taste of the whiskey. Until 1972 the distillery still had its own malt house , since then, like most Scottish distilleries, it has been sourcing the malt from external producers (including the malt house of Glen Ord ).
Today the distillery belongs to United Distillers & Vinters LTD , which has been part of Diageo since 2002 .
Because Skye is very popular with tourists, the Talisker distillery has also adapted to tourism and offers guided tours and whiskey tasting.
production
The Talisker is a double distilled single malt whiskey . The production facility has five stills : two wash stills (14,706 l each) and three spirit stills (11,024 l each). Condensing coils are still used instead of modern condensers . Allegedly, these ensure a fuller taste. The heating of the stills has recently been switched from direct coal firing to heating with steam. The water vapor is generated in an adjoining house using oil. By avoiding open fire in the stillhouse itself, the risk of fire could be reduced considerably.
The malt used is extremely peaty and the phenol content is relatively high at 25 ppm . The water used for production comes from 14 different sources and also flows over peat, which further intensifies the taste. Talisker whiskeys are colored darker with food coloring ( E 150a ), but their bitter taste hardly affects the quality of the whiskey.
Sightseeing
Talisker has a well-developed visitor center and can be visited. Special features of the tour are a Porteous mill, a spirit receiver made by Abercrombie in the form of a barrel and a view of the barrel store.
Products
Talisker - Classic Malt, 10 years
Talisker 10; old, gray packaging
Talisker 10; green French packaging
Talisker 10; newer, blue packaging
Awards:
- Gold medal (International Spirits Competition 2005)
- Gold medal (International Spirits Competition 2004)
- "Best single malt under 12 years" (International Wine & Spirit Competition 2004)
Talisker - 18 years
Talisker 18; new, blue packaging
After long storage in sherry barrels , this malt acquires a fruity, extremely complex aroma. You should also taste algae and menthol. The taste is less smoky, but the finish is peppery as usual, complemented by oak, leather and aromas of the sea.
Awards:
- Gold medal and "Whiskey of the Year" (International Spirits Competition 2005)
Talisker - Distiller's Edition
For this whiskey, the second maturation takes place in barrels in which the sweet Amoroso sherry was previously matured. The barrels add a sweetness to the whiskey during storage.
Awards:
- Silver medal (International Spirits Competition 2005)
Talisker - Special Edition, 25 years
A further increase in the 18-year-old whiskey is offered by the limited special edition edition, in which a 25-year-old Talisker with 57.8% alcohol is offered.
Talisker with no age information
After the Talisker 57 ° North , which was introduced in 2008 , Diageo has been focusing more and more on expanding the Talisker range to include variants without an age specification since 2013. Talisker Storm was introduced at the beginning of 2013, followed in the same year by Talisker Port Ruighe and Talisker Dark Storm and at the beginning of 2015 by Talisker Skye .
Blends and liqueurs
Like most Scottish malts, Talisker is also a component of various blended and vatted malt whiskeys. The best known is the Blend Johnnie Walker , which is made by the Talisker owners Diageo. The very unique taste of an island whiskey should only influence the nuances of the blend that is adapted to the general taste. Experts suspect that Talisker whiskeys are also used in the blends of the Skye bottler Pràban na Linne . In Edinburgh , dealers Macleod & Co. make a blend called Isle of Skye , which probably also contains Talisker. The Drambuie whiskey liqueur , whose tradition is even more closely linked to the Isle of Skye than that of Talisker, also contains whiskey from this distillery.
See also
Web links
- Official website of the Classic Malts Selection (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Mundusvini 2005
- ↑ a b Mundusvini 2004
- ↑ http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2013/02/diageo-releases-ageless-talisker-storm/
- ↑ http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2013/04/talisker-port-ruighe-joins-distillerys-permanent-range/
- ↑ http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2013/06/talisker-dark-storm-named-distillerys-smokiest-ever-whisky/
- ↑ http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/02/talisker-expands-permanent-range-with-skye/
Since 1987: Cragganmore | Dalwhinnie | Glenkinchie | Lagavulin | Oban | Talisker
Since 2005: Caol Ila | Clynelish | Glen Elgin | Knockando | Royal Lochnagar
Since 2008: Cardhu | The Singleton of Dufftown (date unknown)