Review #718 - Talisker 18 Year
A premium offering from Diageo's Talisker distillery, this is an 18 year old single malt from the Isle of Skye. The distillery doesn't disclose the cask types on the bottle, especially with the updated flashy branding, but it's known to be a combination of ex-bourbon casks and sherry casks; like most other Talisker single malts, this 18 year version is bottled at a strength of 45.8% ABV.
One focal point of discussion around Talisker's 18 Year whisky in recent years was the sharp increase in price: back in 2022, the price of this bottle more than doubled. Prices varied by market, of course, but here in our part of the US, we saw the price go from around $90 or $100 up to close to $200 overnight; there was no discernible change in quality or production, meaning the change was due more to demand and corporate greed. Still, this Talisker had many fans over the years - how does the bottle actually taste?
Talisker 18 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 195 (2025)
Age Statement: 18 Years
Strength: 45.8% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and sherry casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A medium amount of peat smoke, salt and oranges, a bit mossy and damp - almost petrichor. Darker notes of raisin and root beer build, and the oak influence slowly increases, adding a soft polished wood note. Vanilla, lemon, and lime add more sweetness; it's quite mellow overall.
Palate: Polished oak, lots of orange and sweet lemonade, and a bit of fizzy peat. Wood smoke and mineral notes add some depth, and there's a soft, heathery floral note; malt and perfume are accented by dark fruits. The mouthfeel is medium-thin.
Finish: Softer, with musty smoke, a decent amount of malt, and some creamy lemon curd flavors. Soft ash and wood char are balanced by sugary sweetness; we get a bit of wood tannin in the aftertaste. It's a medium length finish, a bit subtle overall.
Final Note: This is a nice, if slightly restrained whisky. It is good, but because of our personal preference for bolder flavors in our whiskies, we found this one to be a little bit mellow and too soft at times. It is nicely refined, and there are a few layers of flavor to dig into, especially with the oak notes that come from that extended maturation period; that said, we think a higher strength presentation would do wonders here.
Value is not very good, though, at least these days. Before the price jump a couple of years ago, this would have been a very good value bottle, but at $200+, this is poor value. We're hoping to see the prices on premium bottles like this return to earth over the next couple of years as the whisky market experiences a slowdown.
Our Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.12
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
