Talisker

Whisky has been described by some as the golden thread that runs through Scottish history and sums up the land and its people. Skye’s own single malt, Talisker, is quintessentially Skye in a glass, the aroma of peat smoke, bog myrtle and salt sea spray captured in a spirit referred to as the 'King of Drinks' by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Currently the only single malt distillery on Skye, Talisker is located at Carbost on the shore of Loch Harport. There are plans to build a second distillery in Sleat to produce whisky for the seperate Gaelic-label whisky range. The Talisker distillery has a fantastic visitor centre with enthusiastic guides and generous tastings. This makes a great combination with the lovely walk to Talisker Bay especially on a wet day when the sands look beautiful but you need the warmth of the malting house and a quick dram to revive you.

Talisker is known for its high peat content and salty character giving it a distinct taste. The distillery was built in 1830 and originally used a triple distilling method but changed to the more conventional double distilling in the 1920’s. The distillery was nearly destroyed by fire in 1960 and five exact replicas (even down to copying previous patches and dents) of the original copper stills were constructed to preserve the unique Talisker flavour. The distillery has five stills, two wash still and three spirit stills. Condensing coils rather than a modern condenser are used which is believed to give the whisky a fuller flavour. The malt has a high peat content and the water used comes from Cnoc nan Speireag which flows over peat giving an additional peatiness to the whisky.

During their famous tour of the western islands in 1773 Samuel Johnson and James Boswell made this observation: “A man of the Hebrides, for of the women's diet I can give no account, as soon as he appears in the morning, swallows a glass of whisky; yet they are not a drunken race, at least I never was present at much intemperance; but no man is so abstemious as to refuse the morning dram, which they call a skalk.” On tasting Scottish malt whisky for the first time, Johnston declared it superior to any English malt brandy, describing it as strong but not pungent.

Talisker and many other single malts can be sampled in any of the bars on Skye. The Sligachan Hotel is notable for its impressive collection.