You Won’t Believe How Talisker Aged Its New, Ultra-Rare Scotch

The Canadian tundra’s cold, glacial waters shaped the warm body of Talisker’s newest whisky: Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years. As the final bottling in Talisker’s Xpedition Series, a group of whiskies inspired by adventure and wilderness, Aged 45 Year speaks to the ethos of the Scottish Isle of Skye-based distillery, which shares a bond with the great outdoors unlike any other Scotch maker.

Talisker—whose tagline is “Made By the Sea”— has always been connected to nature and all things maritime. The brand recently released the sea-inspired 30 Year Old whisky, and has partnered with environmental organization Parley For the Oceans, a non-profit that aims to prevent damage to the world’s oceans. But of all Talisker’s sustainability-focused efforts, the Xpedition Series has been its most extreme.

The series launched in 2021 with Talisker Xpedition Oak 43-Year-Old, a whisky aged in casks that used wooden staves that crossed the Atlantic. A year later, Talisker released Forests of the Deep 44-Year-Old, which was finished in staves that were brought on an expedition to one of the world’s largest kelp forests and finished in barrels charred with sustainably farmed sea kelp. For this third and final edition, the distillery took 12 heavily-charred American oak casks on a voyage into Canadian ice fields.

During the expedition, a cooper removed the ends of the whisky casks, exposing them to sub-zero temperatures and Arctic winds for 96 hours. The ice-fractured casks added a unique flavor to the finished Scotch.

The new Talisker Scotch was aged in ice-fractured whisky casks.
Courtesy Image

On the nose, the Talisker Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years delivers the clear maritime aromas the brand is known for, alongside notes of seaweed, iodine, lime, smoke, and hints of dried fruit and vanilla. The palate is rich and full, boasting flavors of toffee, pepper, and sea salt. The finish is long and delivers notes of chili, salted caramel, and a touch more pepper, along with more smoke.

On the journey to the Canadian ice fields, Talisker was joined by Parley For the Oceans, and led by glacier scientist Alison Criscitiello, Ph.D. The team traveled across wild terrain and into ice caves, where Criscitiello helped them understand how the planet’s ecosystems are interconnected.

“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.”

Just 2,455 700 ml bottles of Talisker Glacial Edge Aged 45 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky (49.8% ABV) are available at a price of $5,000.