Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Talisker.

Bottler: Distillery bottling.

Region: Islands (Skye), Scotland.

ABV: 45.8%.

Age: 18 years. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Undisclosed but expected vatting of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Price: $125 USD for 750mL (on significant discount.)

Color added. Chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 7 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: red fruit jam, berries, smoked fish, sea spray, ozone.

Palate: medium-full body ~ green melon, salt, old paper, tarry rope, minerals, green grapes, various floral notes honing in on lavender, black pepper, honey.

Finish: medium-long ~ on smoke, more smoked fish, lemon, more minerals, sweetens a bit (lemon sugar), more black pepper, vanilla, more salt.

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Conclusion: This is a whisky that generates some internal conflict for me, just because it is such a potent representation of what I dislike about Diageo. A few years ago, the price of Talisker 18yr skyrocketed up to near $200 overnight and settled recently around a still eye-watering $175. In the UK that price jump was even worse, having started out considerably cheaper. This bottling has become a poster child for the biggest owner of Scottish distilleries crowding out its mid-tier customers in favor of profit, and the subject of numerous gripes among Scotch enthusiasts.

When a local liquor store went belly-up, I bought this bottle off an auction of their inventory (my price paid includes the hammer fee.) I did this because I’ve had a so-so relationship with many younger Taliskers, including the 10yr, and this felt like the most reasonable chance to find out if I like their spirit with a bit more age. The answer turns out, annoyingly, to be yes: ultimately this is lovely malt, showing its age well with developments of sweeter red and green fruits, and fantastic integration and balance between fruit, minerals, and smoke. It’s also stupidly drinkable, something I don’t often experience with Talisker: I only managed to make this last seven months by pushing it to the back of the whisky cart so I’d forget it was there.

It’s hard for most mass-market whisky to live up to the MSRP for this…even if I could find it all the time at the lower price I paid, I would still be on the fence about replacing it. At $170+ everywhere around me, it’s not even in the cards. I still dislike Diageo, and lament that they’ve placed this so far out of financial reach…but I can’t deny that this is wonderful whisky. 

Final Score: 88.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.