DrRHCMadden
Talisker 18 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed
October 28, 2022 (edited June 16, 2023)
I have been enjoying Island offerings lately. Arran, Highland Park, Talisker. So the opportunity to have a T18 wasn’t something I wanted to miss. Arrived today in the post, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in…
N: instantly recognisable as a crisp, clean, and expertly crafted liquid. There is a sherry fruitiness mixing with beautifully acidic pear-apple juicyness. The smoke is restrained, delicate, and floral. This smoke is less punchy than on the T10, it’s more like aromas of wood smoked meat but so subtle as to not initially become apparent as smoke to me. There is a very slight ocean spray that ties everything together with a beautiful spice on the end.
P: a wonderfully thick and heavy arrival. Pepper is there with warm enveloping woody smoke. A hint of coffee with deliciously salty bacon and toffee creaminess. Pepper and gentle chilli build along with light touches of orange peel(?) and chocolate. Complexity unravels through layers of mouth watering excellence.
F: Long. Peppery turns to chilli, it’s aggressive but in a great way. It takes command without being obtuse or overpowering. The ocean spray of salt and smoke linger in the back quietly.
When I wrote about the T10 I described it as everything warming and wholesome that you would look for having been battered by the rugged coastline that is Skye. Talisker for me, is the embodiment of the lighthouse keeper sitting out the storm watching the waves crash down around. When I picture that lighthouse keeper he is my age, mid thirties. Still youthful and energised, willing to tackle the Sea Fury brewing under the crashing waves (see T8 special edition review). Well, the light house keeper is older now. He is grizzled by the lifetime of a violent ocean, but with an understanding of how to be at one with it. This is the 18. It has all the power of the 10. It is bold, assertive, and rich in depth. But, it is calmer without being subdued. It is the sum total of the tempests violence and the contemplative calmness that follows. This is excellent.
[Tasted from a Horny Pony 30 ml sample. Pictured here with a piece of Amygdaloidal Basalt from the Isle of Skye igneous centre, part of the British Tertiary Magmatic Province that developed over a seven million year period (61-54 million years ago) in mainland western Scotland and the offshore Hebridean islands associated with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean.]
Distiller whisky taste #98
225.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@PBMichiganWolverine the one I tried here is from the new packaging. Never had the previous. This was brilliance though. It’s up to $225 in Aus sites but not in stock anywhere.
@DrRHCMadden that’s outrageous. The 18 here is about $180. I think it’s new packaging , so not sure if the liquid is any different in terms of quality
@PBMichiganWolverine nope AUD. I set her the task of getting me a dark storm. All sold out. They have every other talisker under the sun in Vietnam apparently. I didn’t ask how much the 25 was 😬
@DrRHCMadden 550 in AU$? That’s silly. Should be $150-180. If it’s 550 in Vietnamese dong, buy the entire row. ☺️
@cascode Ho Chi Minh City airport… wife just sent me a photo… $550!
@DrRHCMadden taste is subjective. We taste what we taste at our own spot in the journey. Not unlike how some of my graduate students point out things I’d have never thought of. I enjoy your notes and the geology-centric commentary. I had a bottle of this a while back and got to retry it at the Talisker distillery this past summer. Still excellent stuff!
@DrRHCMadden Yeah I checked Nick’s a while back, they’re my go-to but they’ve been out of stock for a while ☹️
@cascode ok. So just looked at Dans again. You can’t add to cart, comes up as not available. Same with first choice at $163. Nicks is out of stock at $225. Maybe I can get one in uk in June…
@Scott_E “based on the review here” careful now, I am a rank amateur!
@PBMichiganWolverine no idea, hadn’t had it before. Ultimately don’t care though, this was in my glass, and I loved it! 😁
@Scott_E 🐀 🥗 moment was the Limeburners Darkest Winter. That one took me half way round the world and dumped me in the woods behind my parents house. Doesn’t matter how “good” the whisky is, if it’s got that hold on you, it’s five stars.
@PBMichiganWolverine @DrRHCMadden @cascode I heard similar things. Based on the review here, sounds like things are holding their own. And may have to grab another bottle just from this review.
@Scott_E @DrRHCMadden @cascode they revamped the 18, not sure if it’s better, worse or same as the older packaging. I’m hoping it’s just a visual package difference
I had the 10 year old and was quite familiar with it and was one of my favorites. Then one day at a sampling, I had the 18. If you have ever seen Ratatouille, I had a similar moment. The 18 just transported me through space and time. One of my absolute favorites. Love the old salty lighthouse keeper timeline. Great review. Great review.
@cascode as per picture and caption - horny pony. My word, horny pony is packing the goods! Bought five samplers this week. Incredible range, including some unicorns (like rarified Launceston’s!). It seems as though a few Dans stores have them for direct order at 179.99. I would gladly own a bottle, but I have massively overspent my whisky purse this month already. I think the Sea Fury bottling and dark storm are happy alternates though in the interim…
@DrRHCMadden Doc, was this a bottle you bought a while ago? I could not find any in Australia at the moment, and the most recent price when it was last around was more like $250.
@Richard-ModernDrinking @DrRHCMadden yes——getting it confused—-Ardbeg Smoketrails. Seems reasonably priced (surprisingly)
@PBMichiganWolverine you mean Smoketrails
@PBMichiganWolverine I may get told off if I ask for two bottles!
@LouisianaLonghorn I still feel like I have no idea what I’m doing in this space. You lot make me feel absolutely deserving of my self imposed level 1 amateur status. But, I appreciate the craft and time that has gone into making these liquids. My (hard) earned money goes into them too. So I feel that I owe it to the distillers, and myself, to consider what I’m drinking. But, thanks. Appreciate you stopping by :)
@DrRHCMadden see if she can pick up the new Ardbeg Hypernova that’s in duty free—-supposedly at a good price too—around £60
@cascode haha, good job that leaves seven more for you to stick your shelves with!
Come for the whisky, stay for the geology! Your reviews are so detailed and fun to read!
@PBMichiganWolverine yeah. This was awesome. I’m getting my wife to pick me up either a Neist Point or a Dark Storm in duty free in a few weeks. This 18 was excellent. No doubt, but I think I like the comparative violence of the 2021 8yo special edition more? Maybe?! I should probably drink more and decide.
Arran … Highland Park … Talisker … that’s 30% of my favourite distilleries right there 😁
@PBMichiganWolverine Agreed, one of the best core-range 18 year olds available. The price is creeping up a bit to far, however
@DrRHCMadden this is one of my favorite Taliskers, along with the Distillers edition. At least in their core range. IMHO, best 18 yr single malt out there