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Talisker 18 Year Old

The Whisky Club Starts Review 1!

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@SquidgyAshReview by @SquidgyAsh

13th Jan 2013

0

Talisker 18 Year Old
  • Nose
    23
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    23
  • Overall
    91

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

I work in an imported beer store, I sell wholesale to the public and due to that alcohol is a large part of my daily life.

Conversations revolve around it, days revolve around it, sometimes even weeks revolve around it.

But many of my customers know me for a passionate whisky fiend who's always experimenting and trying new whiskies all the time and due to the price of alcohol in Australia I found myself answering quite a few questions about not beer, but whisky instead.

What whiskies are good? What whiskies would I, the customer like? Is that whisky really worth that price?

So I brought in a couple whisky samples for a couple of my regulars to try, to see if they'd like something in that style, what whiskies they might like, would they actually like whisky or did they just think they liked whisky, etc

I might have cheated considering that I gave them samples of Thomas H Handy 2011 and Balvenie 21 yr old Portwood.

But they loved them.

So I suggested that if they were interested we could possibly start up a whisky club.

Everyone was interested.

Sweet!

We set up a meet for a Saturday evening get together at the local whisky bar, just one of my regulars, a friend of his, my brother in law and myself.

My brother in law and I are the first to arrive so e start ourselves off with an opening dram and then after about 20 or so minutes we're joined by my regular and his friend.

We chat whisky, distilleries, styles, personal histories, all that good stuff and eventually my brother in law and I decide we're ready for a second whisky.

I go with Talisker 18 yr old, he goes with Longrow 7 Year Old Gaja Barolo Wood.

Now Talisker is one of my favorite distilleries out there. It holds a special place in my heart as the 10 yr old was the only whisky my wife and I could afford on our first wedding anniversary.

The 10 yr old is one of the few whiskies that you can always find in my cabinet.

I've been hearing good things about the 18 yr old for quite a while now, but I'd never had a chance to try it so hear it goes!

They bring out the whisky in a tasting glass, very similar to a glencairn and I eagerly give it a nose.

It's the typical peaty smokey nose that I expect. But it's refined, with lots of sexy notes to it. Some sweet fruit, nothing that I could put my finger on, but sweet with hints of iodine and sea salt. Oh so sexy.

It's close to the 10 yr old in nose, but it's been made ever so much more elegant.

Time for a taste though!

Peppery, without the intensity of the 10 yr old, with smoke and peat, then it gets more spicy as some coffee and sweet toffee becomes apparent, and all through it comes my beloved Talisker peppers.

A BEAUTIFUL long sexy peppery Talisker finish with hints of salt.

Oh god I've waited so long to try this bad boy, and it was completely worth it. It reaffirms my love for this distillery and doubly reaffirms my determination to come home from Scotland with an older age or cask strength expression from this distillery.

Sadly in Australia you can expect to pay close to $175 or more which while I love this whisky I do think is a wee bit pricey. Definitely a bit pricey to make it an every day dram. However if you've never gotten a chance to taste this expression and you enjoy the 10 yr old, don't pass up a chance to grab a taste of this!

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9 comments

@Lars
Lars commented

Great review, Looking forward to opening my own bottle tonight.

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

Let us know what you think! God that whisky is sexy!!! Makes me eager to try the 57 North so much!

11 years ago 0

@Lars
Lars commented

Very different than the 10 yr which is a personal favorite. I know it sounds like a broken record but it's smoother, more refined, sweeter-cherries. I'll have to see how it evolves over the months I have it open. I think the next import will have to be 57 north too just to compare. ;)

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

Yeah it's sorta funny when you're reviewing a whisky or talking about it and you just tell the other person "I know everyone else says it, but it's just ......" Makes me feel like I should be more original, but hey if that's what it is that's what it is hahaha :D

Glad you're enjoying it!

11 years ago 0

Rigmorole commented

I will have a chance to pick up this bottle when my girlfriend travels to another state. It is unavailable in Oregon, USA. I take it you recommend it highly, Ash? I like the taliskers of two or so years ago. Lately, it's been uneven to me. I hope the 18 is perhaps from an older batch. Thank you for your helpful review.

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

@Rigmorole I love it! Mind you as I said in the review Talisker is easily one of my favorite distilleries. Like I said in the review it's definitely Talisker, but definitely a different beast then the 10 yr old. I've actually got a sample of a distillers edition from 2000 sitting at my desk now that I can't wait to crack open, but yeah I'd happily purchase the 18 yr old. $150 over here so a little pricy, but would make a nice special occasion bottle.

Glad you enjoyed the review buddy!!

11 years ago 0

@Onibubba
Onibubba commented

Talisker 18 is difficult to find in the US. I have only been able to pick it up on trips to CA. Currently, Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa has it for 130.00. I liked this one a lot too, but to be honest, I preferred the 2011 Distiller's Edition even more. Hoping to get my hands on the Talisker DE 2012 at "only" 81.00.

11 years ago 0

@SquidgyAsh
SquidgyAsh commented

@Onibubba holy cow! I'm not used to the US prices being so very close to the Aussie ones. The distiller's Edition that I mentioned in my previous post is the very first one of theirs I'll be trying, but if it's as good as I'm hoping I get a sneaky feeling that I'll be picking them up from now on.

Awww if only my whisky budget was large enough to satisfy my whisky thirst :D

11 years ago 0

Rigmorole commented

Thanks guys. I bought two bottles. I'm sure they will be tasty.

11 years ago 0