The Yamazaki 18 is a bit of a smoke laden 'sherry bomb' with tons of dried fruit flavour and a heavy presence on the palate.
The 12 is more reminiscent of a bourbon cask with a ton less smoke and much more of a honeyed caramel/Vanilla presence. I preferred the 12 by far, but it is more a matter of whether you like a heavy sherry cask presence or not.
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