Talisker 5yo – Douglas of Drumlanrig – Best of the West Festival bottling – 59.9% ABV

Info: Distilled in December 2008 and bottled in April 2014. Single cask, 298 bottles, refill hogshead cask 10592 from the folks at Hunter Laing.

Colour: Very light to clear, hints of yellow.

Nose: Peppery strong nose with peaty smoke wafting around like a gale on a beach on Skye (or Islay). It’s maybe held back a little by the high ABV. Sweet lush young barley.

Palate: Strong and up front, peppery spices and a touch of salt leads into a young smooth spirit barley sweetness. Mossy peat greets you along with notes of hay.

Finish: Big, hearty and warming with mossy peat showing nicely and just a nice touch of oak to go with it. Sweet smoky spirit hangs around for a long while.

Water: A drop or three lets out a coffee grout nature along with caramel and sweet barley. The palate remains very thick with the peppery spices reduced.

Thoughts: I’m often found drinking older malts, and it’s a nice change of pace to drink something much younger where you can still taste the spirit and distillery nature so well. Age isn’t everything and this dram is a great example of that, it’s powerful and exciting.

Available: The Whisky Shop – £68

Thanks to The Whisky Shop for the sample.