Talisker Bodega Series

Talisker has announced a new series of rare and collectible luxury whisky expressions with the launch of its Bodega Series. The whiskies have been aged in sherry casks and the first bottle released is a 40-year-old single malt.

It will be the oldest whisky ever released to the public by the legendary distillery, based on the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is also one of the most expensive whiskies they have ever made available.

The inspiration for the new series of releases comes from the company’s own history and archives. Records show that in the early years of the 20th century Talisker was ageing whisky in casks bought from the Bodega Delgado Zuleta in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, one of the three cities making up the ‘Sherry Triangle’ in Andalucia, Spain.

Talisker Bodega Series

The first release in the Bodega series, which will be available in late June 2018, has been aged in conventional refill American oak barrels but then finished in casks also acquired from the Bodega Delgado Zuleta, which previously held 40-year-old Amontillado sherry. The whisky was put into casks in 1978, and has been bottled at a hefty 50% ABV.

Amontillado begins as the pale fino sherry but is then aged in American or Canadian oak casks and gains some colour from the barrels. It is darker than fino but lighter than oloroso sherry. Noted for its nutty yet aromatically herby aromas and tastes, the amontillado should bring some delicious notes to the Talisker whisky.

The Talisker 40-year-old is released in late June 2018 at a price of £2,750 (or $3,800) and limited to 2,000 bottles worldwide. The bottle comes in a hand-carved oak case.

Talisker
The Talisker Distillery is the oldest on the Isle of Skye, founded in 1830. A disastrous fire in 1960 destroyed the distillery, but exact replicas of the original stills were built, so as to preserve the Talisker taste.