Winter Warmers & Rooftop Igloos at Aviary
Oysters are delicious however you eat them: traditionally, with a squeeze of lemon, or drizzled with shallot mignonette, or even spiced with a dash of tabasco. But there are always new ways, and one really unusual combination is, splashed with a teaspoon of Talisker whisky. Its peaty, peppery, smoky taste instantly connects you to the remote shores where they craft this 190-year-old Scotch Single Malt.
Distilled on the coast, in the rugged landscape of the Isle of Skye – where they describe Talisker as a ‘warm welcome from a wild sea’ – the saltiness of the oyster and the earthiness of Talisker is a surprise to the taste buds, and not an unpleasant one.
But it is not the only new way to enjoy the popular range which was first bottled in 1830 by brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, making it the oldest Single Malt from Scotland. Clever whisky connoisseurs have found plenty of novel mixes for this wild spirit, that can sell for as much as £1 million for a 41-year-old barrel.
Added into citrusy ‘Scotch Mist’ or fruity ‘Northern Lights’ cocktails or splashed into campfire hot chocolate, tames its powerhouse flavour.
The best place to enjoy Talisker in all its forms is the Aviary rooftop restaurant and bar on the tenth floor of the Montcalm Royal London House Hotel in Finsbury Square, EC2, just a 10-minute walk from Liverpool Street station.
‘Too cold!’ I hear the protests, but Aviary have thought of that and are relaunching their renowned rooftop igloos. Each glass dome has uninterrupted views across the City of London with added nautical and natural decor. Cushions, rugs, lanterns and warming Talisker whisky will help you forget dropping temperatures.
No need to decamp if you want to eat, there is also a specially curated food menu with a range of platters to enjoy inside the igloos. The spaces comfortably fit six, but you could probably squeeze in eight people. Book a pod for 90 minutes, with a choice of food and drink packages.
The bronze package costs £250 and includes cocktails on arrival, £100 bar tab to spend on Talisker or any other drinks, appetisers, mac ‘n’ cheese croquettes with truffle mayonnaise and cumin spiced hummus with pitta. The silver package at £295, includes the above cocktail and food, a £125 bar tab, cocktail sausages, chipotle chicken tostada, avocado Falafel with tahini. The £350, gold package, includes a £150 bar tab, cocktail and appetisers, tuna tartare, rare roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, wild mushroom polenta and sticky toffee pudding.
Purists find the idea of diluting amber Talisker a travesty, but the brand’s ambassador Jason Clark, the award-winning mixologist from New Zealand, says there are no rules about drinking it. ‘If you want to add an ice cube or a dash of water, it’s totally personal. Adding it to cocktails just adds another dimension.’ He says.
If you want to splash out, he recommends two types of Talisker to buy from their range, the 18-year-old, or the Distillery Exclusive. ‘Both are exceptional,’ he says. ‘And worth investing £90 a bottle.’ But you can buy a bottle for as little as £12.
If you like Talisker, it’s worth visiting their distillery if you find yourself in Skye. It’s in Carbost on the shores of Loch Harport, and the brand is as hardy as the surrounding Highlands.
In the 1800s it survived opposition from the local clergy and bankruptcy, it shut down during the Second World War to conserve barley, and in 1960, a fire destroyed the stillhouse; an open valve from one still leaked pure alcohol onto the coal fire heating it. Boom! The place exploded and all was lost.
Undaunted, it was rebuilt, a project that took two years and Talisker were distilling again by 1962.
The copper stills are no longer heated by coal fires, the whisky is distilled twice, stored in oak casks for an absolute minimum of three years – most lie in the wood for eight years or more – before it’s mature enough to sell. Definitely an experience to add to your Christmas list and if someone will spend £90 on a bottle for you, let them!
- Search @Aviaryldn @Talisker #madebythesea #wildspirits for more info.
