Talisker 10 Ten years apart.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Okay a certain debate has continuously remained in the back ground for quite a few years on whisk(e)y forums. And the argument always seems to be the same ... and even though the quality of whisk(e)y has never been higher people always remark whisk(e)y was better back in the past tense ... high quality modern methods have started to numb down our favourite expression.

One particular that always seemed to be mentioned was the peppery Talisker 10yo. Well I always have a Talisker 10 on hand and if I see old stock for reasonable prices I buy those to. So currently I have 3 taliskers from Different periods. Late 1990's early 2000's and a current bottle which is getting battered at the moment

Anyway the pepper spice kick in the Merrys jogged my memory on this and I decided to do an experiment. It was long over due that I popped open my oldest Talisker 10yo and compare it to todays version.

So when my 1990's Talisker was being bottled the current one may have only started to be distilled . Strangely the cork half way down disintegrated when I tried to open it. It was all crumbly but not mouldy and the top half that came awa was completly intact and sound ... Interesting but nothing to do with our story

I'm not going to give tasting notes as such but compare them. Firstly is a 10year gap long enough for people to notice a difference well according to some they think so. Would the critics be right and has Talisker lost some of it's sparkling spice.

I nose them first ... well there certainly seemed to be difference. Not seismic but they are noticeable. The colour is slightly deeper in the older version. The nose of the earlier one also seems richer with more roasted coffee and soft homemade caramel notes to the fore while the current one seems more mellow and the sweetness is more sugary with nearly a floral touch to it. The mouth feel is also different with the older one feeling slightly richer the taste is also slightly richer but the most important thing is the pepper kick that people always say seems diminished as the years go by. Well to me they were pretty much even

So even though these bottles are probably 10years appart the impact of the Talisker 10 still seems to be there. So why does everybody think otherwise .. I have even said it about Lagavulin 16yo

Well one theory is that maybe it is us who change ... do we reach a point where our favourite drinks do not yield the same reward that they once did. Is it a case of us 'OD'ing on the flavour profiles and not be able to as accurately pick them out at times.

I don't know but it is interesting ... I currently am being let down by my Lagavulin 16yo but maybe it's me letting it down

[DavidH]

Well one theory is that maybe it is us who change ...

Or another theory is that it's one-upmanship. Like if some young youngster says that tonight's U2 concert is the best concert ever and an older person says "it wasn't bad but it's nothing compared to U2 on the Joshua Tree tour". It's putting someone in their place and they can't argue because it's not actually possible to go back and compare (though you seem to have done that for the whiskey!).

[IainB]

All aboard Adrian's whiskey time machine.

No dount the constituents of the vattings change over time as no distillates or casks will be the same. There may be something to the idea that your own tastes change also. On top of that if you're blown away by something the first time you try it you're hardly likely to have the same enthusiasm by the time you're onto your 10th bottle.

By the way, I still love the Laga 16.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

... Like if some young youngster says that tonight's U2 concert is the best concert ever and an older person says "it wasn't bad but it's nothing compared to U2 on the Joshua Tree tour". It's putting someone in their place and they can't argue because it's not actually possible to go back and compare (though you seem to have done that for the whiskey!).

Naa the best one is going to be tomorrow night as I'll be there

All aboard Adrian's whiskey time machine.

... if you're blown away by something the first time you try it you're hardly likely to have the same enthusiasm by the time you're onto your 10th bottle.

By the way, I still love the Laga 16.

Think that could be a lot to do with it too ...

I still love Laga by the way just dosen't seem be what it used to be to me

[TheWhiskeyBro]

IWC ahead of the posse again, I see the WhiskyShow in London this November has already picked up on your tasting with one of their masterclasses...

Materclass No. 4 Old vs New

Hosted by Charles MacLean

Does whisky age in the bottle and how different are today’s whiskies when compared to those bottled under the same label many years ago? Find out for yourself with this comparative tasting of old and contemporary bottlings of three of the most famous names in whisky. This Masterclass will explore the differences between whisky brands as they were decades ago and how they are today, with a unique chance to taste some truly museum-worthy whiskies.

• Dimple 15 year-old vs. Haig & Haig 12 year-old (1940s)
• Macallan 18 year-old vs. Macallan18 year-old (1960s)
• Laphroaig 10 year-old vs. Laphroaig 10 year-old (1970s)

http://www.thewhiskyshow.com/2009/maste ... ld-vs-new/