Tasting notes Serge Valentin: 89 points (Whiskyfun.com)

I’m a bit late with this one, the Special Releases don’t seem nearly as special these days if you ask me, but this one certainly peaked my curiosity when it came out.

Colour: light gold.

Nose: compared to the 18 there’s certainly more active oak here with these rather creamy and bright notes of smoked vanilla, then green pepper, tar, hessian, pickling juices, seawater and grapefruit. Gets more ‘Talisker’ with time, which is obviously great. Sharper, more precisely saline, brinier and coastal. With water: lemon peel, fabrics, bath salts, white flowers, crushed seashells, gorse flower and even some pollens.

Mouth: punchy and brusquely peppery on arrival. Sweet tarriness, pink sea salt, lime juice, anchovy paste, bonfire embers, cider apple, ink -  lots going on. With water: doubles down on these pickling juice notes with many shades of olive and capers in brine. A dirty martini, anchovies, sardines in olive oil, parsley and watercress.

Finish: long, salty, drying, some brittle minerals, seawater, lemon juice, dried seaweed - pin sharp, precise and very pure and fresh.

Comments: Extremely good with high levels of complexity and a very captivating evolution from nose to finish. It perhaps just lacks a little something ‘extra’ to get it over the 90 line. However, I think the price for this one was (and remains) pretty fair and the quality is very high. Raw, gutsy Talisker - I love it.