Talisker Surge
In 2022 Talisker added a travel exclusive called Surge to its core range of bottlings. This malt is only available at airport duty free shops. Let's see how this Talisker, matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks with no age statement, fares.
The panel
Mean 73.0 · spread 6
Value for money 1/5
- Distillery
- Talisker
- Type
- Single Malt
- Region
- Isle of Skye
- Country
- Scotland
- Strength
- 45.8% ABV
- Character
- spicy
Tasting
Nose
At first, we are greeted by a pleasant smoke. However, there is a sweet note that reminds us of roasted pine nuts. All in all, the peat smoke for which Talisker is renowned is much softer than in other bottlings. There is also clear vanilla, rounded off by the sweet and strong smell of freshly toasted crème brûlée.
Palate
The taste is mildly sweet at first, like a breakfast bun with butter. Behind this are fruity aromas of apple, pear and a little honey. The aroma quickly fades and gives way to a less complex maltiness.
Finish
The finish has the famous Talisker pepper note and a slight maritime saltiness. We feel transported to a campfire on a rocky coastal beach. Compared to the Talisker bottlings we know, however, it is rather dull and not particularly long-lasting.
Verdicts
Marcel
The Talisker Surge surprises with its gentle sweetness and soft smoke, but overall it feels somewhat muted and lacks the distinctive character one expects from Talisker. For an airport exclusive, the price is hard to justify, even though the peppery note in the finish does evoke a pleasant campfire vibe.
Sascha
The Surge presents a clear structure with pronounced vanilla and fruity notes, yet it falls short in complexity and length of finish. Compared to classic Talisker standards, it comes across as unbalanced and lacking depth, which hardly justifies the high price for a travel exclusive.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Talisker as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £201 across 295 lots · 2024-08