A leading single malt in the Six Classic Malts range first released in the late 1980s, Talisker was already well-known to fans of peated whisky. In the 1970s, the malt was found in an 8 year old version (45.8%) and a 12 year old version (43%). The 1980s saw the addition to the label of the famous dandy Johnnie Walker, who replaced the distillery's coat of arms which had been used up until this point (50s, 60s and 70s). A key supplier of malt to the blends Johhnie Walker, Te Beag, White Horse and Isle of Skye, Talisker was for many years limited to just two expressions, the Classic Malts and Distillers Edition. From 2001, however, bottlings became more common, allowing the vaults to release venerable versions aged for 20, 25, 30 and 35 years, culminating in 2016 with the release of a Talisker 40 Year Old in the Rare Malts Selection (45.7%) limited to just five bottles worldwide. It was the first and most likely the last, as, like Lagavulin, this edition of Talisker is unique in the history of the Rare Malts range.

An Isle of Skye single malt distilled at the Talisker distillery in 1991, double-matured in a traditional oak cask, followed by finishing in Amoroso sherry casks, before bottling in 2004. Bottle equipped with a cork stopper and stamped brown foil seal.The Distillers Edition range was introduced between 1997 and 1999, 10 years after the successful launch of the Six Classic Malts range. It features the same distilleries, this time with sherry or port cask finishes adapted to suit the style of malt.The first edition saw the release of Lagavulin 1979 Pedro Ximenez Finish, Talisker 1986 Amoroso Finish, Dalwhinnie 1981 Oloroso Finish, Cragganmore 1984 Ruby Port Finish, Oban 1980 Fino Montilla Finish and Glenkinchie 1986 Amontillado Finish.