Talisker 18
Ahh…that’s the stuff. If you’re looking for a fair and balanced Talisker 18 review, look elsewhere (perhaps some of the links at the bottom of this post). I have nothing negative to say about this wonderful scotch whisky. In fact, the first time I tasted it, I immediately declared it better than all of the other scotches I’d tasted. Although, at the time (just four months ago), that count stood at around 8. I’ve tried a lot more whiskies since then, scotch and others, and I’ve since given up trying to declare a single “best” one. I’ve gone with more of a tier system, and Talisker 18 remains in the top tier along with Lagavulin 16 and DE, Highland Park 18, and perhaps The Glenlivet 18.
On the nose, I get an earthy peat and light smoke, something slightly medicinal, and finally just a bit of toffee sweetness. Once in the mouth, the sweetness becomes more fruity, and then a slight peppery sensation grows stronger in the back of the mouth as the drink goes down. Finally, coming up through the back of the nose at the end is that earthy peat and smoke again. I can’t believe how balanced this scotch is. Those main elements of peat, smoke, iodine, sweetness and pepper come and go in waves, dancing together in harmony like… Oh crap. I’m starting to wax poetic over my freaking drink. Ok…climbing back down to earth here: This scotch whisky rocks!
Apparently, I’m not the only one that puts the Talisker 18 way up there relative to other whiskies. It won the “Worlds Best Single Malt Whisky” award in the 2007 World Whiskies Awards, for whatever that’s worth. This whisky is bottled at 45.8%, and I’ve purchased it in two configurations: 200ml as part of a gift pack containing the 10, 18 and DE Taliskers (highly recommended, and I’ll talk about this in another post) – $65; 750ml bottle – $70 to $80. Currently, the Talisker 18 has gotten very difficult to find locally in AZ. No new stock appears to be coming in. Luckily I have a couple of additional bottles stocked up for future use.
Check out these additional tasting notes and resources for Talisker 18:
- Whisky Magazine – Notes and ratings by Martine Nouet and Dave Broom, as well as links to WM Forum threads, including comparisons of the 10 year to the 18.
- The Whisky Exchange – In addition to being able to buy it here, you can see the stats and additional tasting notes.
- K&L Wine Merchants – Located in CA, selling it for $76. The reason I’m posting the link here is so you can check out their description. They’re saying that the 18 is “almost out of existance”. I emailed them about it and they replied that this is what their sales rep said. It seems to be readily available overseas, and the distillery web site doesn’t say anything about it going away, so I’m not sure what to make of that.
- Malts.com – Tasting notes on the 18 and other Talisker varieties from the Diageo Classic Malts web site. [This doesn’t seem to be the most reliable web server in the world].
- Distillery location [Carbost, Isle of Skye, UK] in Google Maps:
Scotch Hobbyist's Blog 
Haven’t have enough luck in Canada to come across a talisker 18. Recently tried a 10 yo though & must say
Overall an excellent whisky. I’ve deducted a few points because it is branded. To the best of my knowledge there is caramel in it (E150), & its chill filtered. I do recommend this. This whisky is in fact a winter warmer. If it’s cold or if it’s wet, Talisker is the single malt Scotch whisky that will dry you out. You could spend hours with your nose in this one!
Mickey
It’s not just in Canada, Mickey. The 18 year started disappearing in the US a number of months ago. It’s even showing up as “Sold Out” at Royal Mile Whiskies and The Whisky Exchange now! Luckily, I grabbed a couple of bottles, so I’ve got enough to last a while.
Personally, I think the 18 year is a big improvement over the 10 year, and worth purchasing if you can find it. There is a Talisker gift pack with 20 cl bottles of 10 year, DE and 18 year that is still available online. I would definitely recommend getting that if you have the chance.
I’m not a big fan of caramel coloring or chill filtering, but if you rule out whiskies based on that, you’re definitely going to miss out on some good ones.
Cheers,
Jeff
Lucky you Jeff. Point well taken. I’ll be reading…
Cheers!
Mickey
I’ma big fan of the 10yo Talisker. Have spotted both the 18yo and 23yo Taliskers at a store not far from me and am waiting for a nice poker score to pick up the 23yo. Anyone tried this one ? Based on the 10 I am really looking forward to picking up either.
Is that a typo and you mean 25 year, or do they have an independent bottling at 23 years (maybe a Douglas Laing)?
Hi,
Have you heard (or noticed) about some inconsistency of Talisker 10? I bought a bottle expecting a huge briny nose. Guess what? There was hardly any nose whatsoever. Just slight grapefruit. That’s pretty much it. Tried it 5 times on different days. The same result. It did not improve.
(Spice was there, though.)
Overall it was one dimensional. I had a huge expectation on this one. So it was very disappointing. I have heard another person who had the same experience. I wonder if they are having some consistency issue.
Hello Yamazaki (that’s some nice whisky you make, BTW),
Yes, there is some mention of Talisker 10 inconsistency in this Whisky Magazine Forum thread from last year: http://www.whiskymag.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10845&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=talisker+10
As for my own experience, the only Tali 10 I’ve had was a 200ml bottle that came in a gift pack. I don’t have any detailed notes on it, but I preferred both the 18 year and the DE to the standard 10. I thought the 10 year had a nice pepper kick, but was a bit one-dimensional compared to the other two.
I guess I’ve been kind of spoiled, treating the 18 year as my “standard” talisker. They charge close to $60 for Talisker 10 here, vs. the $70 I paid for several Tali 18 bottles. Seemed like a no brainer to me to pick up the 18 instead.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your response. Yeah, personally I think Talisker 10 is a bit over-hyped. I am envious that you can get hold on Talisker 18. And at $70?? That’s a great price!
Here (Oregon), we can’t get hold on it until we take a trip to CA to bring the bottles back ourselves. With their infinite wisdom, some people in the Oregon State government decided that Talisker 18 was not good for the people of Oregon. How kind of them….
I think I will buy T18 myself in NY or CA on my business trip and bring it back.
Oh by the way, I did like Caol Ila 12. It is solid.
Again thanks for your reply. Looking forward to reading more reviews here.
I was always going to comment on this post at some stage, but I wanted to wait until I’d sampled the 18yo again before doing so.
I gave it a thorough evaluation yesterday and my opinions concerning it in relation to the 10, conceived when I tasted them for the first time in the summer of last year, were rendered nul and void. Until my most recent tasting I had rated the 10 fractionally above the 18, for I felt it matched the elder in terms of ‘terroir’ reproduction and kept a fresh volcanic quality which I felt the 18 sacrificed in favour of a more refined maturity. Assessing them both side-by-side, though, the 18 is at least one street ahead and I would agree with other readers that in comparison the 10 is one dimensional – but only when set against this king of malts! (I still rate it as a superb, invigorating dram.)
What does ‘complex’ really mean in repsect to something like the 18, though? It cannot hope to communicate the balance and engrossing character of the nose, the satisfaction derived from the palate and the more-ishness of the finish. It’s inspirational, is what it is. I too bought the 3x200ml pack – so my stock is coming to an end! Tragic!
Had the pleasure of sampling this last night! Rare as hen’s teeth here in Canada, sadly. A friend brought it over (and took the remainders home, wisely). She saw it in a specialty store in Vancouver; the owner had no idea what it was or how rare, and gave her a great price…Such a treat getting a taste of this good stuff.