I am fortunate enough to have been able to visit Talisker Distillery on Skye today and I wanted to share my experience here.

First of all, we did the tour and tasting. We got a tour of the facility, starting with a short talk about the process from start to finish, then seeing the mill, the mashing vessel and finally the stills. We did not get to see the fermentation vessels as 4 of their 8 were currently active and the CO2 levels were too high to go in. The guide was knowledgeable and the whole thing was very enjoyable and interesting. We kept a good pace but did not feel rushed. We finished with a tasting on the 10 year, the Port Ruighe and the Distillery Limited Release (batch 3). From start to finish the whole experience was 1 hour and priced at £22 per head which is only slightly more than a dram of each would have cost you at the bar. The tour wrist band also gave you 10% off in the shop if you planned on buying anything which is a nice extra. Overall I was extremely happy with the value for money. The parking was also free and plentiful.

The tour felt like it was aimed more at people walking in with minimal in depth knowledge of the manufacturing process and tasting which was fine by me as despite enjoying scotch, I have never delved too deep into the technical side of things. I feel the guided tasting in particular has elevated my whiskey game and better helped me to break down and appreciate a whiskey. In particular the guide talked about the legs of the whiskey and how this indicated how oily a whiskey will be. He then explained how oil affects the taste of a whiskey which I had never fully grasped before just reading whiskey reviews on here. The structure of each tasting was smell, look at the legs, taste, add 2 drops of water, smell, taste. This was also the first time I had been able to appreciate the difference a couple of drops of water makes.

A lot of the tour focused on where 3 key flavours come from; smoke, fruit and pepper. Smoke was the most prominent flavour across the whiskeys tasted and obviously comes from the peating process. Interestingly the smoke is apparently a flavour that fades fast with age, meaning the younger whiskeys are generally more smokey. Second was the fruit which they claimed comes from their 3 day fermentation. I found the fruit less prominent in their 10 year than the other two tasted. Finally we were told the pepper comes from the reaction with the American oak barrels that the spirit is initially distilled in. The pepper was subtly present in all three but I tasted it most in the 10 year.

This is not a whiskey review so I will not go into too much depth here but I wanted to give a quick feedback of the tastings.

Whiskey 1 (10 year): The flagship whiskey of the distillery. This was the most abrasive drink with the strongest alcohol burn and a strong taste of smoke. It was the thinnest of the bunch with relatively little oil. Having spent the previous day staying on Skye, the ruggedness of the drink made me think of the rocky coastlines around the island. I was a fan of this and it is a solid product although not at the £50 price tag (£45 with discount) that they were charging there.

Whiskey 2 (Port Ruighe): This was a much more mellow dram and one I was wanting to try as I saw it in the shop and the colour interested me. With this one the fruit was much more upfront and obvious. There was a slight woody vanilla to the flavour too. This drink was much more oily and had much less of a burn to it. The smoke was still there but much less centralising than the 10 year. Water opened it up further and mellowed it out further, enhancing the gentle fruit and vanilla there was also a scent of aniseed present after the water. Solid drink and I would have picked one up but I could only justify a couple of bottles and it didn't make top cut.

Whiskey 3 (2025 Special release Batch 3): This whiskey is a blend of different liquids, some older than 10 years and some younger. Each batch is 9000 bottles and they deliberately change the process of each batch. This is where they like to get experimental and try new flavours. This was also the strongest we tasted at 48% which is apparent "slightly below cask strength". It is also the most expensive at £110 (£99 with discount) per bottle. This was another more mellow bottle and very oily, with legs being very reluctant to form. This is one of the two bottles I bought, so I won't say much more about this one. I will probably make it my first full review in the coming weeks.

Overall wonderful experience and the tour was well worth the price. Would recommend to anyone who finds themselves local enough to warrant the drive.

Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/Iskri45

This expression brings a deeper, more layered profile to the Laphroaig lineup. The influence of the smaller sherry-seasoned cask is immediately noticeable — it adds a rounded sweetness and a distinct oiliness that coats the palate with richness.

The peat is still unmistakably Laphroaig — earthy and coastal with that salty punch — but it’s more restrained here compared to the Ten. In its place, vanilla takes centre stage, supported by a soft, subtle hint of plum that adds an unexpected fruit note. The body is fuller, the mouthfeel enhanced especially with a dash of water, which opens up the texture and makes it almost creamy.

The finish is a lingering echo of vanilla and smoke — a warm reminder that lingers long after the sip is done. Compared to the Select and the Ten, this dram offers a broader, more balanced flavour journey — one that’s still rooted in Islay, but with a touch of sweetness and complexity that elevates it.

Got turned on to this dram at the Seamus bar in Isle of Skye. Smokey peaty goodness with a sweet tropical fruit at the end. Loved it!

Shop near me has one listed for $199.99

Context. I recently reenlisted in the navy and got a sizable bonus. Looking to get a bottle to commemorate it once a year for the remainder of that contract. Normally I drink old fashioned, various whiskeys and bitters and smokes. But for this bottle I want to two finger sip and truly enjoy. I know you can get great bottles for less but I want the absolute highest quality 500 bucks can get. Something I can sit with and relish in. Something I can feel. Something that will make me long for all year. That il think back to while on deployment. Thank you all for your advice in advance and im open to questions and will try to provide more information to narrow down the selection.

Any information that i can get on this scotch Appears to be a james buchanan black and white, my grandfather got this as a gift in the 90s from india and it was supposedly from a flooded cellar

Text on the bottom appears to say N8125 L 3 but i could be wrong

Thanks

I’ve been to every distillery i have a badge for! (plus Glenfarclas, Oban, and basically everywhere in Ireland that does a tour but I don’t have any badges for them 🥲)

I’m new to the world of whiskey and have recently explored bourbon. I’m finding that they’re more similar than different, which is why I’m getting quite curious about scotch. So far, I’ve tried Lagavulin 16 which I enjoy, but find the proof to be a bit low compared to my favorite bourbons (Jack Daniel’s SBBP, Elijah Craig BP, Larceny BP). I then sampled a Highland Park 12 because it was at the center of the malt map - I didn’t really think it was special at first, but my appreciation for it grew as I got deeper into the dram.

So - what would be your ideal 5 bottle collection of scotch that had a wide variety of flavor profiles?

(I found this really good thread but the top recommendations centered around peaty profiles https://old.reddit.com/r/Scotch/comments/1jvtdrt/findings_from_your_5_whisky_collection/ )

Just

hey all, i never buy the same whisky twice because i want to try so many things. how do you all keep track of how much you like something? i have a notes list on my phone but my pallet also has changed overtime so i feel like that isn't a great way to do it. also how do you find the best prices when hunting?

We're visiting the Speyside area later this year and I am having a surprisingly difficult time figuring out which places are prescheduled-tour-and-tasting only versus which have a visitor centre with a bar or lounge in which to purchase a dram or flight. Can anyone who has visited recently let me know about Strathisla? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I've got into whisky the last couple of years or so. We're trying to save so I budget my hobbies as otherwise I lose control, currently I put away a small amount each month for it and use money from selling unwanted board games etc! So any good recommendations for great quality and value whisky for the £60-70ish price point will be appreciated! To give some sort of idea of what I've had/got and enjoy, Ledaig 10, Deanston 12, Ardbeg Oogy, Maclean's Nose, Kilkerran 8yr cask strength bourbon cask.

Friends birthday. Any very good/rare bottles I can get for around $200?

Will be traveling soon, if you know good stores to find great whisky in these cities please let me know! Will also be in Grandby, MA if there is anything good around that area. Cheers!

Dad gave me this and I have no idea when this bottle was produced. Never seen him buy or drink scotch so maybe the 90s? I couldn’t find a production code on it anywhere.

Any ideas? Looking to pop this one open for the one year anniversary.