ctbeck11
Talisker 18 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
June 5, 2021 (edited June 25, 2022)
Nose - sweet peat, fig, sultana, brine, iodine, butterscotch, pear, honey, smoked meat, candied orange, vanilla, allspice, clove, green apple, black pepper, rich malt, mild to moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - sweet, oily peat, brine, green apple, pear, fig, plum, nectarine, spiced vanilla, salted caramel, iodine, allspice, kipper, honey cured ham, lemon zest, chili pepper, clove, spicy oak, mint, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with sweet peat, green apple, and cured ham flavors.
This is great whisky. While it’s easily identifiable as Talisker, the malt is richer, the peat is subtler, and the spiced, fruit notes are more accentuated. The meatiness is still present, but it has more of a cured ham quality than the greasy, bacony off-note on the 10 year. Interestingly, it reminds me of a rich Speyside like Craigellachie or Benromach.
So that’s all fine and good, but I have one major beef with this one. I like the 10 better than the 18 year. I thought this was the case initially, but poured the 10 year alongside and confirmed it. The 18 year is more complex and refined, but it lacks the grunginess that I love on the original.
I’m aware that there is significant batch variation with the 18 year (mine is from 2019), and the older bottlings are thought to be superior. I’m also aware that the 18 year is known to deteriorate with time. This particular bottle was opened six months ago, so I doubt oxidation has impacted this significantly. Overall this is great, but I’ll be restocking the 10 year at $60 instead of this at $150, and I’ll be just as satisfied.
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@cascode @PBMichiganWolverine @ctbeck11 Agreed. I can’t compare to the newer releases. However, the bottle I have/had blew me away and this is/was one of my all-time favorites.
@ctbeck11 That sounds like a great vacation. Lodging is rustic and you must forage for your own food, but island accommodations fully stocked with cases of Talisker 18.
@ctbeck11 I think I tasted the 18 maybe from 2013 or so.
@ctbeck11 that would be awesome—-thanks!!
@cascode Oh no doubt. If I were trapped on a deserted island with nothing but cases of Talisker 18, I would consider it a charmed life.
@ctbeck11 I can believe the profile of the 18 y.o. has drifted a little for sure but I find it hard to get my head around the idea of anything by Talisker being actually "inferior". Even if it has dropped from being a 5-star dram to a 4-star one it's still reasonably priced nectar of the gods 🙂
For reference, my bottle is from 2019. Updated the review to indicate this as well.
@PBMichiganWolverine I’ll add a sample of my 18 to the box I’m building for you. Would be interested to hear how you think it stacks up.
@Jose-Massu-Espinel Yes, at first I thought they were very similar. After doing the side-by-side comparison, there were a lot of similarities but it was very easy to identify the differences. I try to do this as much as possible, as it helps me understand the nuances better.
@cascode I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the new vs old bottlings, if you decide to buy another. I’m assuming the new editions are inferior, but that may not be the case.
@Ctrexman I think most people would like the 18 year more. It’s certainly more polished. The Distiller’s Edition is really nice, and (depending on your local market) priced very reasonably.
I personally loved the Talisker 18, but admittedly it was from ages ago. I’ve heard that the recent ones aren’t as good as the early ones, and oxidation is quick on this one
for me, Talisker 18 can easily match the 25yo and the 30yo. i agree that a 10yo Talisker is also very good and it might seem not too far from this one, but if you make the excercise to taste them side by side, you will notice the difference.
I had a bottle of 18 year that I opened in 2016 and didn't finish until early 2018, and it was fine up until the last drops - in fact if anything a little oxidation improved it. That was a batch from 2014 and I've not bought a bottle since - must pick one up and see if there is a significant difference.
Wow, I would have expected this to be better than the 10 considering age/price. I have not tried this but I think the 10yr is excellent. Think Ill go Distillers Edition next instead of hunting and paying the premium for the 18
@WhiskyWitch Yep, I think I get more out of the experience when I group reviews by brand and do them back-to-back in a series. It’s really interesting to see the impact of age and cask influence on the same base spirit.
Wow, toned-down Talisker sounds almost like Oban. I'm glad other people have a backlog of reviews that they slowly trickle in too...
@Soba45 Thanks! You read my mind. Tonight’s review will be the 8 year cask strength from 2020. Really looking forward to it.
Nice review :-). Yes like you I find generally I enjoy the punchyness of the younger Taliskers. I LOVED the 8 year CS 2018 version....Talisker to the max!