I've just been hunting for the kitten photos that you posted, before I realised that you must have posted them on ACF rather than here, so we can't make a direct comparison.
Talisker also doesn't really like being picked up like most cats. I've only had him since he was one or so, and he was like that from the start, so it's probably how he was treated as a kitten. He does however tolerate being picked up like a baby, and as you say, having his tummy tickled.
He is also a total softy. A cattery I used before moving to London said that he was the most relaxed cat that they had ever met!