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Good but not great actually

2018 Talisker 10 against two pre classic malts bottles, brown & green, no back labels https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/68682/talisker-10-year-old#note-container https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/118057/talisker-10-year-old#note-container https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/15130/talisker-10-year-old#note-container I would describe the 2018 10 year as like a blended 10 year Talisker because the vatting of casks has ironed out all the rough edges but I liked the old rough edges. The 2018 is fine, nothing wrong with it and smells much richer than the older ones but it is less expressive on the palate but still high quality and the peat and pepper is still there. The old 1 litre brown bottle is a marked contrast to the 2018, it is lighter as the sherry is much less pronounced but it smells fresher, and definitely has more power with the peat and pepper taking centre stage. The green bottle the oldest is similar to the 1 litre brown bottle but appears too have a little more of everything, not much more just more peppery and a little more fruit but very well balanced. In summary the new 10 year 2018 is a nice whisky but it is too rounded , I suppose the extra sherry is to appeal to a wider audience, it is a dumbed down version of what the 10 year should be. The 1 litre pre classic malts is a different beast and has less sherry but more peat/pepper which I prefer, it is lighter and not as heavy going as the 2018. The green bottle is still the best but only by a whisker, it just has a little more of a kick, this is still the daddy in my view and the best of any Talisker 10 year. They are obviously smoothing out the new 10 year to appeal to a wider audience, and while I can happily drink it, the dumbing down has gone too far for me but the flavour profile is still a good one, but too much sherry for me but just having another sip there is healthy does of peat. 1 Green pre classic 2 Brown pre classic 3 2018 right now lets see how it compares to the 1985 27 year OB https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/44404/talisker-1985#note-container I think the 1985 is the best but it shares definite similarities with the older 10 year, perhaps a little unfair comparing a 27 year cask strength to the 10 years but it is only a little inform of the green bottle pre classic malts which for me is still the `Daddy`,

toffee, yellow fruits, iodine, whiffs of smoke, orchard fruits, white pepper, tannins, quite close to the late 90s brown bottle versions, nice

Wow, how much better than todays 10yo. ... :)