It’s time to taste the latest expression released by Talisker a few weeks ago (travel retail only- remember?) . The Dark storm is matured in deep charred oak casks for extra spice and smoke and is bottled at 45.8% ABV (like most other Taliskers). So basically it’s supposed to be a bolder version of the Storm, with bigger and more powerful flavours. So how does it compare? let’s crack it open.
Talisker Dark Storm, NAS, 45.8% abv , £42 (US$64.60) [travel retail only]
Nose: Very peaty. Not medicinal but hell – it’s earthy. Some vanilla and pepper. This is indeed a Talisker . Other than that? Not ultra complex. It’s clearly a young malt by the looks of it, not that there is anything wrong with young NAS at the right price…
Palate: Wham! in your face sort of experience, with a good bite of pepper and peaty oomph upfront. Getting saltier on the palate as you roll it around yours. There are also some vanilla and crème Brule notes on the 2nd wave of sensations, which complement the peat harshness and bang.
Finish: A Salty, peaty and sooty nut bar.
Yes, it’s fairly young, and the nose is not very complex here, but the palate does make up for it. It’s really a very good palate, strong, peaty, peppery and salty, a truly nice package that is even better than the sum of all those parts. If we do compare it to the “storm” , it’s less fruity both on the nose and on the palate, with no berries or the like, but the extra pepper and earthy bite, with the lovely salty edge, does distinguish it from its ‘gentler’ brother. As for the price, 42 quid is not really expensive, but it’s also not that cheap for a quite young (and It does feel young) NAS. I would love to see this edition priced at £30 or so, or at the same price level of its 10 year old brother (or even less – god knows it’s not even 10 years of age).Age is not everything, but a correlation between very young NAS and price would be nice. (I know, Octomores are terribly expensive for 5 yo, and so are Kilchomans, we’ve discussed that many a time on FB and whisky forums).
Bottom line : I like it. I would love to sip more of it. yes. So if you’re flying somewhere soon, that is indeed a nice option of you’re a Talisker sort of guy (or lady). Good stuff from Talisker, yet again. I wonder what else they got up their sleeves for this year (so far 3 new expressions). I’ll give it the same score as the Storm, as it’s good but different. Some may like it better i think.
Score: 85/100
Official sample provided by Cognis PR
I very much agree with you on this one Gal ! At home I have a Talisker expert (it has been Becky’s favourite single malt since she could utter the word 😉 who knows her stuff. Accidentally we tried a sample last night that was sent to us by Diageo when we were in the US. So it was quite a surprise when we got home. I love the depth of this dram, and it holds its typical Loch Harport background, so to speak. Talisker Dark Storm is one to revisit more than once, and we would not say that easily, since Becky narrowly survived the terrible Hurricane Hugo in 1988, that devastated Charleston, SC, among other places ! Cheers, Hans
Cheers Hans! and regards to Becky! nice meeting you once more guys!
Slainte.