Talisker Unveils 43-Year-Old Xpedition Oak: The Atlantic Challenge

Talisker has revealed its oldest Scotch whisky to date – Talisker 43-Year-Old Xpedition Oak: The Atlantic Challenge. It was designed to celebrate the brand’s founding year, when the MacAskill brothers rowed from the Isle of Eigg to the Isle of Skye and established the distillery.

Shaped by nature’s elements, Talisker 43-Year-Old Xpedition Oak: The Atlantic Challenge was finished in casks that included wooden staves that traversed the Atlantic. As part of this whisky making journey and inspired by the spirit of Talisker’s founders, adventurer James Aiken undertook a 3,264 mile journey across the Atlantic, with a very precious cargo. On the deck aboard James’s yacht he carried the wooden staves, sections of casks. The transatlantic expedition followed the same route of the rowers of the annual Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. Upon completion of the crossing, these staves were returned to Scotland to complete the final maturation of the whisky. Each bottle purchased will be accompanied by a piece of one of these very staves.

“Most of my life is focused on the ocean, and the variety of ways that we can interact and learn from it,” said Aiken. “This expedition taught me even more and allowed me to connect with nature’s elements in an entirely new way. Over twenty-four days, sailing from La Gomera, Spain, to the island of Antigua, I crossed the Atlantic solo aboard my boat Oaken Yarn. I cared for the wooden staves aboard ensuring their safe passage. The crossing was an almost meditative experience in nature: both challenging and a joy. “

Featuring peppery sea salt smoky sweetness, the Scotch is”the epitome of the Talisker style and character; nurtured for over four decades in oak to produce something truly spectacular,” says the brand. The whisky was drawn from just 10 casks and only 1,830 bottles of the limited edition single malt have been made.

“This whisky is a sublime single malt that captures the pinnacle of the key aromas of Talisker – spice, sweetness, waxy and creamy, with a sense of the sea spray the morning after the storm,” Ewan Gunn, senior global brand ambassador. “The four decades of maturation have given a full flavour, yet a softness to this bold dram resulting in a rounded and elegant experience.”

Bottled at 49.7% ABV, the Talisker 43-Year-Old Xpedition Oak: The Atlantic Challenge is priced at £3,500 ($4,877 USD) per 700ml. The whisky will be available from select retailers globally beginning in May, including malts.com.