There are just two distilleries located on Scotland’s Isle of Skye—the small but excellent Torabhaig, and the much larger and more familiar Talisker. The latter distillery, which is owned by drinks giant Diageo, just announced the release of a new edition of its 30-year-old single malt whisky, but it’s available in very limited numbers, so you’ll have to act fast to get a bottle.
Talisker was founded in 1830, so this distillery has certainly been through some changes over nearly two centuries of existence. That includes having been rebuilt after fires broke out a few times, and obviously modernizing its equipment and operation methods over the years. One thing that has remained consistent 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 located on the island of Islay). The core lineup consists of single malts aged for 10, 18, and 25 years, along with the non-age statement Talisker Storm.
The 30-year-old was first released in 2006 as part of Diageo’s Special Releases collection. It relaunched in 2021 and is now a permanent annual release. Of note, this is not the oldest whisky to date from the distillery. That honor goes to a 46-year-old released last year as part of the Prima & Ultima collection from Diageo. Still, Talisker 30 is a fantastic and relatively rare whisky. While we have tried previous releases, we did not get to taste the current edition.
But according to, Ewan Gunn, senior global ambassador for Diageo’s single malts, it’s a winner. “This new release of Talisker 30-Year-Old holds all the classic characteristics of Talisker, yet elevated to new heights,” he said in a statement. “Soaring with sweet smoke with pointy notes of pepper, this latest release is an elegant and complex expression of Talisker.” The whisky was aged in American oak and bottled at cask strength of 49.5 percent ABV. Official tasting notes describe apple, stone fruit, and spice on the nose, followed by notes of smoke, green chili pepper, sweet pecan, bonfire embers, and a soft salinity on the palate.
There are just 2,610 bottles of Talisker 30 available worldwide, and only 741 of those will reach the States with a price tag of $1,100 per bottle. The good news is that you can find one available to purchase now from ReserveBar along with the core lineup and other rare releases like the 43-year-old Xpedition Oak, which was finished in casks made from oak staves seasoned at sea during a journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
