Talisker and the first Sail-in Cinema in the world

Posted by winesleuth in Spirits | 1 comment

Standing by the sea with a glass of Talisker 18 year old in hand, the faint taste of seaweed rolled around my mouth and it was difficult  to tell where it ended, the salty seaweed tang of the sea air seemed to swirl around my glass both inside and out. We were standing by the quayside in Cowes with Talisker Brand Ambassador Colin Dunn who wanted us to experience the true taste of Talisker, which comes from the Isle of Skye and is “made by the sea”, as they say. As an added bonus, we had fresh, locally caught fish & chips from the nearby chippy. Why is it that fish & chips always tastes best by the sea?

Talisker was sponsoring the first ever “sail-in Cinema” and to show off a bit, had arranged a small tasting of Talisker’s range. My favourite was the cask strength 57 North so named because the alcohol level is 57.1% alcohol. It’s a new release from Talisker and is aged in barrels that are heavily charred and 8 – 14 years old. As Colin said, “…it’s pure Nirvana – smells like teen spirit  and tastes like it, too.” Creamy and sweet, notes of brulee, vanilla and then a peppery kick to finish, which is the signature of Talisker. Add a drop or two of water and it’s some smoooooooth sailin’.

Finishing off the fish and chips and we headed off to the boat where we would be watching Master and Commander on the big screen. A gigantic screen had been set up on the esplande of Cowes facing the sea so that boaters could sail up, drop anchor and enjoy the movie. Talisker even thoughtfully provided radio earphones so that every one could individually hear the movie.

It was a lot of fun to be floating off the coast of the Isle of Wight, munching popcorn and the special Talisker cocktails that were whipped up for us to enjoy with the movie. It did get a bit nippy out on the top deck and eventually we retired to the lower deck to watch the  movie in less windy conditions.

The evening finished off with the traditional end-of-Cowes week fireworks and one last whiskey toddy to keep us warm before heading back to shore and a comfy bed. A big thanks to Talisker for inviting me to take part in the first sail-in cinema, good whiskey and good fun!