Talisker 10 Year Old

As North American editor the primary focus of my updates should be the Rye and Bourbon whiskies available to me during my jaunt across British Columbia and Alberta. I have utterly neglected this task and for this update have decided upon something a bit more familiar and close to home.

Making the most of a very spring-like day in early February we took a boat out on Burrard Inlet and launching at Port Moody sped up Indian Arm to the falls. Turning around at Wigwam Inn – now the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, its days as a gentrified brothel behind it – we came back to see the sunset spread behind the mountains like a gigantic bruise from which trails of cloud veined out over the dusky sky. Wind chilled faces and hands needed relief so we stopped at The Boathouse restaurant for a drink and a bite to eat. As it was a game night oysters were on special at $1.20 a go so I cautiously ordered a couple of the Chef’s Bay variety. After being told that it was the wrong time of year for my choice I settled on a starting round of two Royal Miyagi.

The Boathouse has an extensive wine and cocktail list so could have offered a good Chablis to accompany my oysters but I was hankering after a Scotch. My initial instinct was to go with something that had spent its life ageing close to the sea: salt and seaweed would be worthy companions for the regal oyster. I asked if the bar stocked any Islay Single Malts and was told they had Crown Royal (excellent when topped with ginger ale and lime) so I jumped the comprehension barrier by asking more generally for a Single Malt Scotch. Talisker was duly mentioned and I ordered up a single measure of the ten year old. In reflection my want of a briny Islay Malt may have been a little rash as the lingering iodine in some of the island’s heftier candidates may have proved overpowering for the oyster’s delicate flavors. As it happened the Talisker substitute worked wonderfully. I was greeted with a smoky element that seemed more pronounced than in previous liaisons with this malt. The peppery dimension found in Talisker’s older expressions was almost entirely absent but in the circumstances this did not detract from the overall experience. Talisker affords a good balance between the qualities of the Islay and Mainland malts but has a character that betrays its island birthplace. Taking a mere lip moistener of this younger and perhaps less complex dram from Skye prepared the palate perfectly. The additional hint of the aforementioned smoke to the first briny, then fresh, and finally delicious umami aftertaste of the oyster lifted the entire composition. I quickly made an order for four more oysters. 


Chris