One Man And The Sea

To create its oldest expression yet, Talisker sends British adventurer James Aiken on a solo expedition across the Atlantic. His mission? Season the whisky staves on board with the essence of adventure.

- Beatrice Bowers

A bottle of whisky is never far from a tale of adventure, and no less is expected from a spirit created on the historic isles of Scotland. While many of the expressions we see on shelves today are coloured by origin stories of yore, Talisker 43-Year-Old Xpedition Oak: The Atlantic Challenge was born out of a solo, 24-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by one man in a boat carrying whisky staves secured to the deck.

British adventurer and sailor James Aiken, who worked with the distillery on a film project in 2019, tackled the 6,000km expedition. “During this project, it was clear that we share similar values, including our love and affinity of the sea. I believe that venturing into the outdoor realm is healthy and expansive, mentally and physically. There is always something fresh to experience, and Talisker shares this ethos,” he explained.

Talisker sought to capture the essence of the ocean in the final product and its oldest expression to date. During Aiken’s journey, all the staves were exposed to ocean spray, sun, salt and storms, creating and building layers of flavour that would eventually go into the finishing of the special release single malt.