Talisker Magma Spotted: Ultra-Rare Single Malt Distilled in 1978 May Be Coming

On Skye, it looks like Talisker has just wrapped up a fascinating experiment. A label has surfaced for an upcoming single malt from the distillery. Talisker Magma hints at maturation in casks with a volcanic twist. Here’s what we know so far.

The online TTB database regularly logs new labels for whiskies. Distilleries and producers submit these in preparation for potential future releases. While many of these bottles hit shelves soon after, some never make it past the label stage.

A new label has appeared in the TTB database for a Talisker whisky. The distillery seems to be gearing up for a rather distinctive release: Talisker Magma.

We don’t know everything about Talisker Magma just yet, but the label reveals a few key details.

It confirms this single malt has undergone a special maturation. Not all cask types are disclosed, but the final resting cask is.

These are casks toasted using volcanic rock from Skye, lending the Talisker a local, distinctly unusual character. But haven’t we seen this idea before?

The Scottish distillery has previously released a whisky from similarly treated casks: Talisker Molten Seas Special Releases 2025. That whisky was matured for 14 years, then finished.

The finish took place in American oak casks toasted with heat from the island’s volcanic rock. For Molten Seas Special Releases 2025, this magma toasting delivered an “eruptive” flavor where sweet, saline, and smoky converged.

What the finish will bring to this new whisky remains unknown. In any case, Magma’s flavor profile will differ from Molten Seas, given the spirit’s age.

According to the label, the whisky will be bottled at 48.8% alcohol by volume (ABV).

The TTB label suggests this will be a notably old whisky. Talisker’s spirit was distilled in 1978 and won’t be bottled until 2025. That makes it a 47-year-old single malt. It’s not the oldest ever from the distillery, but it comes close.

The run is capped at 622 bottles, which will at least be available in the United States. The labels indicate the bottles carrying this label will be imported by Diageo New York.

Where else it will be released, and when, remains unknown, as does the final price per bottle.