Talisker an even bigger tourist attraction
The Diageo conglomerate, the largest player in the Scotch whisky market, has been relentless in its efforts to bring its business closer to the multitude of tourists visiting Scotland. In recent years alone, a sum of £185 million has been invested in tourism related to the production of Scotch whisky. In the case of Diageo, these expenditures have focused mainly - though not exclusively - around the promotion of its best-selling Scotch whisky brand, Johnnie Walker. These investments include the launch of a flagship on the Edinburgh map - the state-of-the-art, multimedia, breathtaking Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street in the heart of Scotland's capital city. Visitor Centres at Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Glen Ord distilleries were extensively rebuilt and upgraded. The latter distillery has become a showcase for The Singleton brand, whiskies produced at the Dufftown, Glendullan and just Glen Ord distilleries. Work is nearing completion at the Caol Ila distillery to highlight the distillery's ties to the Johnnie Walker brand.
As we learn, the new, modernized Visitor Center at the Talisker distillery on the Isle of Skye was officially opened a few days ago. In keeping with Talisker's brand philosophy that the whisky here is first and foremost "made by the sea" (made by the sea), the interiors took on a nautical feel, there were graphic elements tying the brand to Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to protecting the seas and oceans, and the opening of the new VC featured swimmer, multiple record-holder Ross Edgley, and Skye resident Katie Tunn, also actively involved in the protection of marine bodies of water and the vibrant life within them.
At the same time, the distillery's tour offer has been expanded to include a number of new options, including the possibility of tasting in the bonded warehouse, straight from the barrels, under the guidance of an experienced distillery employee.
Founded in 1830, Talisker was until recently the only whisky distillery on the Isle of Skye and one of the few located in the northwest of Scotland. This situation changed with the launch of the Torabhaig distillery in the southeastern part of the island in 2016. In the immediate vicinity, though not on Skye, the Isle of Raasay distillery was launched a year later. The not-too-distant Outer Hebrides has recently been home to two distilleries - Abhainn Dearg on Lewis and Isle of Harris on Harris - and any day now whisky production is expected on the islands of Barra and North Uist as well. Talisker has lost its geographic dominance in this part of Scotland, but it is by far still the most popular and widely recognized single malt Scotch whisky brand in the region, one of the most popular and highest-rated Scotch malt whiskies in general.
It is interesting to note that Talisker was one of the few, if not the only distillery outside the Highlands to regularly produce malt whisky based on triple distillation. The technique was common in Ireland and the Scottish Lowlands region, but was exceedingly rare in the north. The practice was abandoned in 1928, but a reminder of it remains today in the form of an odd number of alembics - two first-distillation alembics and three secondary-distillation alembics.
Talisker's career as a single malt whisky gained momentum in 1988, when the base edition of the whisky produced here, Talisker 10yo, became part of the original Classic Malts of Scotland set. It represented the Scottish Isles region - a region that does not formally exist, but is often used in various types of compilations. At the time, the single malt whisky category was still relatively unknown, and the six "classic" malts blazed a trail to the consciousness - and palates - of wide swaths of consumers. And it performed the task in an exemplary manner, not without a significant contribution just Talisker 10yo.
The Talisker distillery is located on Loch Harport Bay, one of several maritime bays jutting into the Isle of Skye's jagged coastline. In recent years, both the entire island and the Talisker distillery have become quite an attraction, hence the tourist scales and the rooms of the distillery are almost constantly filled with the bustle of visitors, coming here from almost all over the world. For the sake of accuracy and for the sake of our readers going to that area, it is worth noting that on the island you will find several points whose geographical name is "Talisker", but they have little to do with the distillery. A few kilometers from the distillery is the settlement of Talisker, located on Talisker Bay, into which the Talisker River flows, and a few hundred meters away you will find the Talisker waterfall, incidentally not on the Talisker River at all. Travelers heading to the Talisker distillery are more interested in the settlement of Carbost on Loch Harport Bay. Anyway, when traveling around the area, the distillery is not hard to find. As one of the island's major tourist attractions, it has been given a whole system of bronze signposts that will lead you like a string to a set of distinctive white buildings with "Talisker" written on the wall of one of them.
Those of our readers who are not going to the Isle of Skye anytime soon, but would like to get a taste of the local atmosphere, we invite you to read the following current offer of Talisker whisky, available through the House of Whisky Online. At the time of preparing this material, you could find everyday drams like Talisker Storm or the flagship Talisker 10yo, as well as the 1978 vintage from Samaroli, the 1955 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail, or the official 34yo edition from the 1975 vintage. Plus dozens of editions ranking somewhere in between those listed.
[18.08.2022 / photo: Diageo]