Sips & Sites & Bites

Known for their maritime whisky and for giving back to environmental causes, Talisker Whisky just unveiled Talisker Glacial Edge 45-Year-Old, the final release in their Xpedition Series. 

The series is a trilogy of whiskies inspired by the wild, and its spirit of adventure. The whiskies were aged more than four decades before a final finishing in ice-fractured oak casks.

This represents a new experiment in whisky, as well as a first for Talisker.

Twelve Talisker distillery heavily-charred American oak casks were used to age this new expression, and they were taken on a glacial voyage into Canada’s ice fields. 

The distiller explained that a specialized cooper removed the ends of the casks, exposing them to sub-zero temperatures and Arctic winds for 96 hours. This allowed the extreme cold to fracture the wood, which in turn increased the surface area of the casks. And that changed the liquid’s interactions with the casks during the finishing period in Scotland.

This is the final release in Talisker’s three-part series of single malt Scotch whiskies, the first was Talisker Xpedition Oak 43-Year-Old released in 2021, aged in casks that used wooden staves which crossed the Atlantic.

In 2022, the distillery released Talisker Forests of the Deep 44-Year-Old, finished in staves that were brought onboard an expedition to one of the world’s largest kelp forests and finished in barrels charred with sustainably farmed sea kelp.

The expedition to fracture the casks in the ice fields took place with Talisker’s partner, Parley For the Oceans, and led by glacier scientist Dr. Alison Criscitiello. The team looked for clues to understand how the planet’s ecosystems are interconnected, from the glacial fields of Canada to the sea surrounding the Talisker distillery’s home on the Isle of Skye off Northwest Scotland. 

This is the third year of Talisker’s collaboration with Parley to support their organization’s protection and preservation of marine ecosystems globally, with a portion of the funds from Talisker Glacial Edge 45-Year-Old sales donated to support this cause.

“From glacial ice to kelp forests, everything is interconnected and our world is changing faster than we know. Deep down, we all understand that we must rapidly transform how we create, think and live together,” said Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans, “This limited-edition 45-Year-Old whisky is an opportunity to tell the story of a fast-changing environment within a product shaped by time and nature, while supporting more of the climate research, activism and human connection that is urgently needed.”

Talisker Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky clocks in at 49.8% ABV and has a suggested price of $5,123 per 700ml bottle in the U.S. 

To find out more, check out their socials @Talisker and @DIAGEORareandExceptional. Or go online at www.diageorareandexceptional.com.