18-year-old

Compared to 15, everything is really a bit better here. More rounded, less alcoholic, more sherry influence

Nose: Sweet, apple, peach, vanilla, a little lime, slightly floral, malt, oak ••• Taste: Sweet, spicy, oak, apple, marzipan, vanilla, malt, floral ••• Finish: Medium-long, sweet apple, malt and a slightly floral note remain ••• Conclusion: There are great sweet aromas on the nose. At first I thought of an overripe, floury apple. Then there is a great peach note that reminds me of peach rings (fruit gums that you can buy in the supermarket covered in sugar). I also get a nice vanilla, a little lime and a slightly floral note. Malt and oak are only in the second row. The taste of the Tulli starts off strong, sweet and with spicy oak. Apple and marzipan then come together with vanilla and malt. Here, too, I get a floral note. It's a great whisky. The price-performance ratio is right for Tullibardine. A settled, delicious whisky that is a delight with a super fruity, sweet nose and a spicy start to the taste. The 43% is a good fit. I can't find any off notes. Delicious. •• 86-87

22+21.5+21+21.5

Light and simple with a walnut as the main star. Surprisingly little depth for 18 years, 46% would probably suit him better, but the price is fair - November 11th, 2023

Soap and chewing gum

Edit: Gets significantly better over time in the opened bottle, but still remains hopelessly overpriced. I liked the 15-year-old much better, but it was really disappointing for an 18-year-old and too expensive, especially since it was "only" 43%, which is nothing unusual in the ranks of 18-year-olds.

- a very elegant and drinkable 18 year old single malt - way better than the 15 J. - very balanced - beautiful gentleman's whisky - for around €85 for an 18 year old single malt is still acceptable Order. It's not the best 18 year old single malt, but... You shouldn't expect it for 85€ either

Smell: Slightly sweet, sour and salty (the more you wake up, the fruitier it gets) Taste: light, sweet, salty, slightly pharmaceutical. Finish: short, sour, oaky.

...a pleasant 18 year old who doesn't overwhelm anyone and yet appears sedate and elegant...if you like walnuts, cane sugar and dark Belgian pastries, you will love this... [color:] = gold;

08-09-2024

Dried fruits, nuts and a trace of mustard on toasted bread. Matured in first-fill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Probably chill-filtered and coloured. Thick slowly forming primary legs. Mid-size slow secondary legs. Trails. Very good value for the price.

The nose starts off reserved and seems rather light. Then come sweet vanilla notes and sour green apple. The taste is creamy, sweet and fruity. However, the oak also develops spiciness and brings power into play. The finish is fruity and here too the oak brings structure. A pleasant and good whisky and if you consider the price, you can't go wrong for 18 years. I don't have any off notes and I like it.

Considering its age, it was reasonable to expect much more than the younger ageing, but instead I find it more or less at the same level: unexpressive, clumsy and uninteresting. Pity.

Tasting this head to head with the 15y old version. The 18y version is unquestionably a fuller, complexer, better whisky. More mature. The addition of Sherry casks added a chocolaty aspect. Good, but not great! In my opinion, it still can not compete with the most 18y bottlings out there from other distilleries.

Nose: Vanilla, juicy red apple, not-quite-baked apple, perhaps with a hint of orange. A light hint of chocolate/caramel. Round, mild, and balanced. Taste: Mild at the beginning in terms of mouthfeel. More spice is noticeable, and towards the end, it's almost all spice/oak. A splash of orange and red apple is interspersed. Medium-length finish. A good 18, but won't blow the socks off the experienced whisky nerd. From memory, I found the 15 to be a bit fruitier, more like an ex-bourbon fruitiness. The 15 is definitely more interesting in terms of value for money.

Directly the typical Tullibardine nose for me, which has something of a stale mustiness with a hint of shoe polish. It always takes some getting used to for me. But with the 18yo it is at least accompanied by a nice fruit component. Sweet, creamy. It's almost like apricot liqueur. But perhaps this association is also due to the low alcohol strength. The bourbon barrels also deliver beautiful vanilla and caramel flavors. Everything is easy, harmonious, but somehow also unspectacular. Immediately creamy sweet on the tongue. That brings me straight back to the liqueur association, although the fruit now has to give way to the spice. But it takes quite a while until something more happens on the tongue. Then the oak comes through, which can also show the 18 years. Neat wood. It is slightly bitter and a bit sour. Hints of nutmeg. But it's a mystery to me why you don't give a little more % to such an old malt. Seems completely underpowered to me. At the end the spit comes out of the baking quite nicely. Slightly tart, slightly sour. Getting drier. But surprisingly short for 18 years. Yes, what can you say about that... I like it a lot better than the 15yo, although I also found it really boney. The 18yo has already matured quite a bit. In my opinion, he doesn't get the 43% at all and so he drifts towards boredom relatively quickly. I have to honestly say I don't need anything more than the sample. Not a whisky I could spend an entire evening or more with.

It's a very generic but also very elegant and great price / quality 18 year old whisky.

It shows a sufficiently interesting evolution in its 3 stages (nose, palate, finish). The nose and palate are closer to each other, but the cheesy aromas I mentioned in the nose give way to pastry notes on the palate. In the finish, it takes a completely different direction; citrus and flowers create a brilliant finish. It's not a bad whisky at all; with a craft presentation, Tullibardine could convince more enthusiasts and create a more credible name for itself. I hope they realize this.