Talisker launches a new 30-year-old single malt Scotch whisky

There are only two distilleries on the Scottish Isle of Skye: the small but excellent Torabhaig and the much larger and better known Talisker. The latter distillery, owned by drinks giant Diageo, has just announced the release of a new edition of its 30-year-old single malt whisky, but it's only available in very limited quantities, so you'll have to be quick to get your hands on a bottle.

Talisker was founded in 1830, so this distillery has certainly gone through some changes in its nearly two centuries of existence. This includes being rebuilt after several fires and, of course, modernising its equipment and operating methods over the years. One thing that has remained the same for decades is the character of the whisky, which is relatively lightly peated at around 20 ppm (compared to around 60 ppm for a distillery like Ardbeg on the island of Islay). The core range consists of single malts aged for 10, 18 and 25 years, as well as the Talisker Storm with no age statement.

The 30-year-old was first released in 2006 as part of Diageo's Special Releases collection. It was relaunched in 2021 and is now a permanent annual release. Notably, this is not the oldest whisky from the distillery. That honor goes to a 46-year-old released last year as part of Diageo's Prima & Ultima collection. Still, Talisker 30 is a fantastic and relatively rare whisky. Although we've tried previous releases, we weren't able to taste the current release.

But according to Ewan Gunn, chief global ambassador for Diageo's single malts, it's a winner. “This new edition of Talisker 30-Year-Old has all the classic characteristics of Talisker but reaches new heights,” he said in a statement. “With sweet smoke and sharp pepper notes, this latest edition is an elegant and complex expression of Talisker.” The whisky was matured in American oak and bottled at a cask strength of 49.5% ABV. Official tasting notes describe apple, stone fruit and spice on the nose, followed by notes of smoke, green chilli, sweet pecan, campfire embers and a slight saltiness on the palate.

Only 2,610 bottles of Talisker 30 are available worldwide, and only 741 of those will reach the U.S., priced at $1,100 a bottle. The good news is that you can buy a bottle now from ReserveBar, along with the core range and other rare releases like the 43-year-old Xpedition Oak, which has been aged in casks made from oak staves dried at sea during a voyage across the Atlantic.