Shieldaig 18 Year Speyside Single Malt

a "mystery whisky" since it belongs to Ian MacLeod and it is listed as "undisclosed distillery". Bottled at 40%abv, with a deep gold color. On the nose there are some sherry notes, blackberry marmalade, pepper, wet forest, cola and a little honey. On the palate is actually very good, very balanced. A sherry and caramel start, that quickly changes into a spicy mild oaky, tangerine note. Finish i long and ashy with bonfire notes, not peaty. It is not an earthy type of smoke flavor. This is a pretty good dram, and i think the bottle is about 43 dollars for an 18yo, (i believe they are trying to introduce the product to the market). I give this dram a solid 93 over 100, very nice.

I get honey, pear, and a hint of apple on the nose. Definitely no smoke like a few others said they got, of course this may vary year to year. On the palate it’s smooth and buttery with a hint of spice. The finish is fairly short with a bit of minerality and some astringency. All in all it’s not a bad dram, but not very complex. It’s smooth and quaffable. It would probably do best in mix drinks.

A rich, Single Malt form Speyside, Scotland aged in oak barrels for at least 18 years. It has a rich birth with notes of pear drops, heather & stewed figs; a balanced life adds notes of citrus, barley, herbs & oak; that led to a long & spicy death. February / March 2019 / February / October 2020 / September 2022 More barley & heather than I remember! August 2025

The nose is quite harsh - it kinda reminds me of something like JW red to black label, strong alcohol and some fruit and honey sweetness but overall not very pleasant The aromas set my expectations low but on palate it is better than expected. Smooth, vanilla, caramel, honey, stone fruit and leather. The finish is sweet with vanilla.

Yes it’s excellently priced but there really is no other way to say this other than it’s just not all that good. Maybe for a party or friends who want the year count more than the actual profile. It’s approachable and pretty smooth and rounded but it lacks focus and comes off confused. Pour the soda on and pass it along

nose is faint and sweet. taste is friendly and fruity, red apples finish is long and sweet. overall pretty underwhelming, nothing here to hate, but nothing to make it stand out. I guess it's cool to get an 18 year old whiskey for cheap, but I'll take any if the other 40 dollar 12 year old whiskeys over the Shieldaig.