Talisker 18 YO Scotch $149.95 Delivered @ Amazon AU

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LBL01 on 07/10/2020 - 17:57 amazon.com.au (363 clicks)
Last edited 08/10/2020 - 00:15 by 1 other user

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For all fans of peaty whisky, Talisker 18 YO needs no introduction.

Previous winner of World's Best Whisky back in 2007.
Goldilocks setting in my view. Retains the hallmark characteristics of Talisker 10, but not overtaken by the oak like its 25 year old expression.

I haven't personally seen it in stock for a while, and was certainly hard to get your hands on for a number of years.

I believe the usual price is closer to 180 if you could ever find it in stock.

Also available at Danmurphy's for the same price and can use Cashrewards + WISH gift cards.

Price History at CamelCamelCamel.

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• 

  sauce2k6 on 07/10/2020 - 18:13

  -4

  so it's not a deal? Just you haven't seen in stock for a while? lol

  • 

    Twirlypiglet on 07/10/2020 - 18:20

    "I believe the usual price is closer to 180 if you could ever find it in stock."

    Was written right there in the post. Also you can check CCC.

• 

  Twirlypiglet on 07/10/2020 - 18:27

  +1

  I think your estimate of $180 usual price is a bit high. According to Dan Murphy's their usual price is $159.90.

  Amazon's standard price seems to have been $165-$169.

  Still a saving of $10 and as you said there hasn't been much stock, but would recommend other whiskeys for this price imo.

  • 

    BL01 on 07/10/2020 - 18:40

    Thanks for the extra info. I hadn't used CCC before, but seems to check out!

    I have bought the 18YO for ~180 but as I said, haven't seen it for a few years now.

    For me - the fact that it is now available and a small discount = big deal :)

    • 

      Twirlypiglet on 07/10/2020 - 18:41

      +1

      Yeah I agree with you. Enjoy!

  • 

    Jimothy Wongingtons on 07/10/2020 - 18:51

    Can I have some recommendations?

    Currently enjoying zacapa 23 but got that hankering for whiskey and don’t mind spending a bit of dosh

    • 

      Twirlypiglet on 07/10/2020 - 19:04

      +2

      I don't really like recommending whiskey to people as everyone has different tastes/palates. I always drink whisky with ice, and am not too fussy.

      I only work part time so I usually just buy what's on special but one that's always good and reasonably priced is Glenfiddich. Currently on special at Dan Murphy's.

      I like Johnnie Walker if I don't want to spend too much but a lot of people think you shouldn't drink blended whiskey straight/with ice. As I said before tho I'm not fussy.

      For an expensive one I bought this once and really enjoyed it, I found it very smooth but I wouldn't pay full price for it Macallan 15yo.

    • 

      BL01 on 07/10/2020 - 19:18

      +1

      I'd echo Twirlypiglets comments on recommending as it's such a personal experience.

      But here are some personal favourites:
      For something smokey: Ardbeg Uigaedail (this can be polarising)..
      For something softer/sweeter: Macallan 12 Sherry Cask (they also have a 12YO fine oak which is good but diff)
      If you're not a huge whisky drinker, I often get people the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. I think it's more approachable than the Talisker and ardbeg. I think they recently removed the age statement but it used to be a 10YO bottling

      • 

        ozbjunkie on 07/10/2020 - 19:48

        +1

        Nice recommends.

        I'd say take the corryvrekkan over the uigeadail, but I know I'm in the minority there. Still. I think the minority might have it correct in this case.

        I'd say people shouldn't go past lagavulin 16, and if that style suits, take the step up to the cask strength lagavulin 12.

        Agreed that the Macallan is an approachable and accessible drop, but I'd say it's overpriced for what it offers, particularly on the finish.

    • 

      ozbjunkie on 07/10/2020 - 19:50

      +1

      See my favs in my other reply, but if you let me know your flavour preferences I'm happy to come back with more recommendations

      Smokey?
      Woody?
      Spicey?
      Fruity?
      Honey?
      Vanilla?
      Salty?
      Mossy/earthy?

      Anything you tried and liked/hated.

      Do you like rum, bourbon. Brandy?

      These things should see people point you in the right direction.

      • 

        Jimothy Wongingtons on 07/10/2020 - 20:54

        RuM I am loving zacapa 23. But don’t mind Bundy black label either.

        As for whisky I had some singleton glendullan masters art with a good friend, unfortunately I’m told it was a duty free exclusive :(

        • 

          ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 02:11

          +4

          @Jimothy Wongingtons: I'm not familiar with singleton of glendullan, which I read is fruity and grassy, but I am familiar with the singleton of dufftown, which I read is nutty and spicy. Really, I'd just characterise the dufftown as a starter whisky, something very smooth and not at all offensive that new drinkers will find approachable, and experienced whisky lovers would be happy enough to sink half a bottle of in an evening.

          I'd be confident in assuming all singletons are starters, in that they are basically well balanced, and offer an interesting counterpoint against which to compare more character-filled offerings.

          Starter whiskys are great, they offer a balance of sweetness and vanilla, and fruit and spice.

          If you like spice, which kind of tastes peppery, you might like something that is finished in fresh oak barrels (i.e. have never been filled before). This will give a real woody tang to your whisky though. If you want a less extreme woody flavour that still packs a punch, I like the Craigellachie 13, very much.

          If you like a dark molasses kind of sweet, you might like something finished in a sherry cask, like the Macallan 12, Aberlour abunadh, Glenrothes winemakers cut (stay aware from Dalmore, it's overpriced trash). Sherry finished whiskies generally lack complex finish though. So you're trading taste on the palate for longevity and complexity. I prefer the latter 2, so I drink sherry finished whisky rarely.

          If you like a more honey or treacle type of sweetness, try the dalwhinnie 15.

          If you want something a little more powerful than the singleton, try Oban 14. It has the characteristic salty briney taste of whisky with enough sweet and vanilla to not overpower you with seawater. It's like a graduate level starter whisky, if that makes sense.

          If you like the saltwater taste, bruichladdie might be the way to go. It's been a while, so I forget which bruichladdie I had (rocks, maybe waves), and I didn't love it, but it was salty and briney and one of the few whiskies I have ever had that actually did improve with 3 drops of water. Just exploring options here.

          Now all those are relatively pleasant tasting. But sometimes pleasant isn't the point, at least, not accessibly pleasant. The blue cheese or truffle type of delicacy in the whisky world are Islay malts, for their sodden, dank, mossy, earthy, and sometimes tar, antiseptic or petrochemical type flavours. These are kind of the "dark side" of whisky. Some people love it, some hate it, and I get the feeling some just pretend to love it because it's fashionable or at least "fashion adjacent".

          Thats what I enjoy the most.

          Ardbeg 10 if you don't mind some brashness and youth. My favourite. Tastes like cane sugar and straw/hay on the palate, with a burst of smoke and salty moss as the finish develops.

          Lagavulin 16 if you want a well rounded and full bodied dram with less brashness than Ardbeg. A more sophisticated Islay malt.

          Laphroaig 10 is great if you are willing to forgo any sweetness in order to turn the mossy earthy and antiseptic notes up to full volume.

          There are other Islay malts. Some of which I like, such as kilchomen, and some of which I don't, like bowmore, which always gives me a headache for some reason.

          A solid whisky bar might be a good place to visit to see what suits your palate. Or, buy a few bottles that are wildly different, and taste 2 or 3 side by side to appreciate how they differ, and see if you have a "type" or you just choose your whisky to suit your mood.

          Long post, perhaps it's a little too obvious that I enjoyed a few of my (different) favourites tonight.

          Last thing. 1 second in the mouth for each year on the bottle. Minimum. But, individual preferences on mouthing and breathing… that's a whole other post.

          • 

            Chazzozz on 08/10/2020 - 08:45

            @ozbjunkie: Excellent primer in whisky, well done! This is the kind of post that really adds value to the OB community.

            I'll mention to all the newbies that Scotch is just the start of your journey, there's a whole world of whisky (and whiskey!) out there. I've been enjoying exploring Irish recently, with Tullamore my fav from the Emerald Isle, and being an ex-pat Canuck I have a real penchant for Canadian Whisky (current fav is Collingwood, which is available from Dan's, but I used to buy JP Wiser 18yo when it was still available here). Then you've got American, Japanese, Welsh, Taiwan, India…you get the picture. Now that I'm living in Tasmania I am particularly excited about getting into the local Aussie drops, and Tas is definitely the place to be for that!

            • 

              ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 10:24

              @Chazzozz: Thanks for the endorsement! I got on a little roll there… Glad someone enjoyed it :)

              I'm all out of hellyers Rd at the moment. Maybe it's time to explore Tasmanian whisky a bit more.

              Ailsa bay has something worth checking out with their "sweet smoke". All the flavours are in the right place, and it doesn't taste young and brash, but you can tell the flavours and not perfectly integrated. Which is interesting and altogether unpleasant. Have you tried that one?

              • 

                Chazzozz on 08/10/2020 - 10:30

                @ozbjunkie: No, I haven't tried it yet. The Hellyer's distillery is just down the road so I'll certainly be checking them out. Another that I'm looking forward to is Bowmore, mostly because I'm impressed with their grain-to-glass philosophy. I've tried a sample or two and I'm impressed with the quality thus far. One that really surprised me is Black Gate from western NSW, I've had two bottles of their whisky so far (1 smoky and peated, 1 un-peated) and both have suited my palate perfectly.

                • 

                  ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 10:42

                  +1

                  @Chazzozz: Very nice to know about this. I should do my part to help out Aussie businesses and snag a bottle or two :)

                  Taking one for the team. Ever the martyr, but someone has to do it…

          • 

            Jimothy Wongingtons on 08/10/2020 - 14:13

            @ozbjunkie: Unreal mate, thanks for the detailed response!

            Based on your write up I am learning towards trying out the Macallan 12 or the dalwhinnie 15 :)

            • 

              ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 20:33

              +1

              @Jimothy Wongingtons: My pleasure.

              If money is no object, get both and do a side by side.

              Notice the more brown sugar sweetness of the Macallan sherry casks against the more white sugar sweetness of the dalwhinnie.

              Notice that the Macallan finishes quicker, losing flavour after you swallow, whereas the dalwhinnie has a flavour that persists longer after you swallow (this is what we mean by the "finish").

              Happy dramming.

    • 

      gcar304 on 07/10/2020 - 19:51

      +3

      I highly recommend Bunnahabhain 12. Best bang for buck in terms of flavour. There's also the usual good drops like Lagavulin and Caol Ila. If you wanna spend even more then try some of the Japanese whiskey like Yamazaki 12 but imho you'd get much better scotch for less.

      • 

        meong on 07/10/2020 - 20:48

        Tried Bunnahabhain for the first time and was amazed… Really it seems underrated as when i showed it to friends they weren't interested until some of them tried it and was surprised at how good it is…

        Maybe its just my palate but I tried Macallan 12 and wasn't that impressed.

        Just sharing what else I've had in the past to get an idea of what my taste is:

        I was also impressed with Aardberg (forgot which one), Aberlour Abunadh and Kilchoman (which is in the same price range as the Bunnahabhain.

        Tried the Caol Ila 12 but it tasted too light for me.

        I think I like peaty ones in general… Does anyone have any recommendations to share?

        • 

          ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 02:13

          +1

          @meong: Given you're not new to Islay malts. I'd recommend you pickup both the Ardbeg corryvrekkan and the lagavulin 12 cask strength.

          Two of the best Islay malts. Difficult to cite a better whisky in my opinion. An equal, yet different whisky, sure. But better…? I'm doubtful.

          At half the price, Ardbeg 10 and lagavulin 16 are not far behind the above. But why do things in halves? (except bottles of whisky, I find anything more than a half bottle causes issues).

        • 

          Chazzozz on 08/10/2020 - 08:48

          +1

          @meong: Heh. If you want to try an absolute smoke bomb then take a sip of Octomore. See if you can score a taste somewhere first, though, don't go splashing out on a whole bottle or you may find you don't like it.

          • 

            ozbjunkie on 08/10/2020 - 10:40

            +1

            @Chazzozz: Octomore was perhaps the most interesting whisky I had at the 2018 and 2019 whisky show (discount promotix tickets).

            The numbeness on the tongue of the 68+% alcohol octomore… Maybe the 7.1? I really can't remember… But it was very interesting. Obviously you should add water at that strength.

            Octomore is a "try it once but don't but a bottle" sort of offering to me. Tastes too young. A little like a science experiment where someone manipulated a single variable and discovered that the key to the flavour they were looking for wasn't just to increase the peatyness.