Time for the one before last review on the Talisker appreciation week – their latest core range official bottling: Talisker Port Ruighe (pronounced Portree).

This one is also a NAS release finished in Port casks after it was matured in American, European Oak refill casks and extra-charred casks.

Maritime and sweet port, will they walk together?

Talisker Port Ruighe (45.8%, £44.45)

Nose: Hmm, burnt down campfire dosed down by water, laced with boiled black prunes, smoke is tamed down, too round even at first but with lots of time in the glass it opens but splits into two distinct parts: Talisker on one side and Port on 2nd site without much connection between them.

Palate: Ashy, sweet smoke, espresso, sweet raisins, with time its less ashy and less sweet but gets more talisker-y with smoke and pepper.

Finish: Medium length with espresso, oak, pepper, background sweet. The finish after drinking the left-in-glass-for-a-while-for-some-time brings a different finish – it’s more of a vintage Talisker with a dash of sweet port (and it’s lovely)

Thoughts: For me it’s not on par with the other Talisker NAS releases I reviewed this week. If you have patience and give it some time, it will become more taliskery and more enjoyable but the bottom line for me is that the Talisker spirit and the Port finish didn’t mesh well together. Maybe if it was left in the port casks for a little longer?