I’ll always remember picking up a soft, maple brown sugar note the first time I tasted a Talisker 18. Besides being my classic Quaker Oatmeal flavor, that note paired just beautifully with the subtle smokey undertone...thanks to some gracefully aged peat that, of course. Whether that was from rumored older stock, being blended in could only be answered by the wonderful folks at Diageo. If I had to guess, that distinctive pour came from a circa 2015-2017 bottle, which presumably had a very similar make-up of bourbon/sherry casks to this 2021.
Appearance: Amber gold (Colored) First Whiff: Mossy peat bog Nose: Vegetal peat, bit of spice…cinnamon-esque with Tali’s classic pepperiness. There’s a yeasty-peppermint dance, like eating a spicy salami sandwich…on rye.
Palate: Oily as usual but falls a bit flat. Cigar smokers will pick up the maduro notes right away…earthy, cracked black pepper, hazelnut with a heaping of fresh peat moss. Definitely not like the sweet, most likely sherry driven, or older stock influenced 18’s of the past.
Finish: Short lived. Sweet, but a little garlic powdery on the backend. Surprisingly felt a bit youthful and underdeveloped for an 18 year old.
Summary: There was a rumor, maybe a year or two ago that this classic core age statement was going away or “taking a break,” as is customary with certain popular bottlings that are not quite able to keep up with demand. The lack of Whiskybase ID’s for 2022/2023 releases might also validate some of those concerns. But if you know where to look, you can still find plenty of these on a shelf at a very reasonable price. I’d suggest checking those bottle codes for slightly older releases though, if your looking for that delightful maple brown sugary note I remember from year’s past.
IDS Score: 85
Talisker 18 Year 2021 Bottling 45.8%
