One of the most eagerly anticipated bottlings of the 2013 Diageo Special Releases (and in our view the best looking) is this 1985 vintage Talisker. Aged for 27 years in refill American Oak, this shows off the intensity that Talisker can offer, both in terms of flavour and complexity. Nose: Brine, green leaves and a big meaty mouthfeel. Sea spray ozone, bung cloth, damp wood and dunnage warehouse mustiness (the good kind). Palate: Cooling anis and liquorice sweetness up front, with grassy smoke and drying ashiness. It builds in intensity (to quite ridiculous levels), with dark chocolate, more sea spray and dark earthy smoke. Water takes the edge off to reveal more sweetness and fruit – apples, oranges and mango. Smoke is still ever present but doesn’t intrude, providing pine needles and a meaty, sweet cured bacon-like background. Finish: Seaweed, dark fruit, chocolate and stony minerality. Comment: An intense whisky that needs some taming with a drop of water, but which shows off the more intense side of Talisker that Diageo have been promoting recently. Lots of fierce sea and fruit, with dark depths underneath. Please note the little damage on top of the box.