Tastes

I'm not a huge fan of Irish whisky, especially after drinking Redbreast 12yo. I'm a bit hesitant to try my second single pot still, but given the affordable price and in the mood of adventure, I bought this. I'm so glad I did. In short word, it's so similar to Yamazaki 12, which is easily 2 or 3*price of green spot. Smells floral, fruity, sweet. On the palate it's super smooth, just like other Irish whisky, but the little burn is so nice. Vanilla, pear flavor dominates, of course, while the hint of spice and burn explodes in your mouth. Finish is shorter than Yamazaki, but still got that sweet profile. It's the best $50 I've spent on whisky.

Rather than dark amber color like 10 yo, Talisker 18 has light golden color. Smell is really light, with slight peat and sweetness coming in. On palate there's honey, caramel, cinnamon, and hint of brine, but all very subtle, along with sweet peat that's not dominating, but noticeably delicate. Finish is medium and sweet. This is a really sophisticated scotch with a lot of flavors, but balanced really well and has interesting profile than any other scotches I've had so far. Definitely worth the money($190 after tax).