Tamdhu

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > T

From Spain to Speyside

TAMDHU

10 years old

43%
Tamdhu Distillery, Morayshire

TAMDHU

10 years old

40%
water from our own spring,
our own malted barley and
a full barrowload of peat
Tamdhu Distillery, Speyside

TAMDHU

geen leeftijds vermelding

last bottle and empty

40 %

water from our own spring,
our own malted barley and
a full barrowload of peat
Tamdhu Distillery, Speyside

Uitgebracht April 1993.

TAMDHU

12 years old

43%
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled 27.1.84
Bottled 3.96
Cask no. 169
410 Genummerde flessen
Van Wees, Holland

TAMDHU

34 years old

40,1 %
PEERLESS
A Unique Whisky of Distinction
Fons et Origo D T C
Cask Strenght
date distilled 06.1968
date bottled 11.2002
cask no. 4104
188 genummerde flessen
Duncan Taylor & Co.

TAMDHU

33 years old

54%

SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Date Distilled Jan 67
Date Bottled Oct 00
Society Cask Code 8.26
Outturn 187 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
'Where the bee sucks, there suck I'

A venerable whisky from the only Speyside distillery which does its own maltings in Saladin boxes. The rich gold dram has lovely, slow, elegant legs. The first impression on the nose is sweetness and indeed this develops as the whisky sits in your hand. It is a buttery, rich sweetness with moist, sticky dried fruits - like a good Eccles cake in a glas. With water it becomes even more heady, with the heavy sweet scent of flowers, perhaps honeysuckle, or the pink, rose - water flavoured Turkish Delight. The taste is full and sweet and lingers long in the mouth, with a pleasant bitter edge coming at the very end.

TAMDHU

34 years old

50%
THE OLD MALT CASK 50o
A Single Cask Bottling
Distilled January 1967
Bottled September 2001
186 Bottles
No Chill Filtration
No Colouring
Douglas Laing & Co, Ltd, Glasgow

TAMDHU

39 years old

40 %
RARE OLD
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled 1961
Bottled 2000
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin

TAMDHU

20 years old

57,1%
SINGLE CASK
SCOTCH MALT WHISKY
Society Cask code 8.38
Outturn 435 Bottles
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh
'Happy days are here again'

TAMDHU

Aged 18 years

43 %
Single Malt Fine Scotch Whisky
Bringing together our own malted barley,
water from our own spring
and a delicate hint of our local peat
Malted and distilled at Tamdhu Distillery, Speyside

TAMDHU

Aged 25 years

2 0 0 4
6 years old

60,2 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE
MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
CASK STRENGHT
Speyside Single Malt
Distilled: 29/06/04
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Cask no: 5440
Bottled 08/03/11
625 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company, NL

TAMDHU

Founded 1897
Aged 10 years

40 %
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
SPIRIT OF ENLIGHTMENT
Inspired by the Enlightment and two
Centuries of Industry and Endeavour
A Co of gentlemen Merchants and

purveyors of THE "CAN - DO - SPIRIT"
Devised & Constructed The Era's most
"Remarkkable distillery" with
The Singular aim of Producing
The World's Finest Single Malt
Scotch Whisky
Matured in Sherry casks
Distilled at Tamdhy Distillery

Nose: The softness of vanilla and sugared almonds, balanced by fresh oak and cinnamon

Palate: Bursting with fruit and spice – gently yielding to toffee and the richness of sherry oak

Finish: Fruit and vanilla lingers, becoming pleasantly drying – finally unveiling the merest wisp of peat smoke.

TAMDHU
VINTAGE

2 0 0 6
9 years old

65.0 %
CASK STRENGHT
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY
Speyside Single Malt
Matured in a Sherry Butt
Distilled: 16/02/06
Bottled: 19/03/15
639 Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
Selected by The Ultimate Whisky Company.NL

TAMDHU

From Spain to Speyside

TheNew Old Macallan

Knockando, Morayshire. Licentiehouder: Tamdhu Distillery Ltd. Eigendom van The Highland Distilleries Co, Ltd.

In 1863 werd door de opening van de Strathspey spoorlijn, die liep van Boat of Garden naar Craigellachie, de Speyside toegankelijker voor toeristen.

One of the stations along the way was Dalbeallie, which stands next to Tamdhu, later renamed in Knockando, The Strathspey Railway was closed in 1966, the Knockando

Railway station has been used from time to time as a visitor centre by Tamdhu

Ook de whiskyblenders kregen meer belangstelling voor dit gebied: de whiskyindustrie beleefde een bloeiperiode en de lichtere Speyside whiskies waren in de mode.
Door de Stratspey spoorlijn werd ook de aan- en afvoer van de produkten van en naar de distilleerderij en vergemakkelijkt.

De vraag naar blended whisky bereikte zijn hoogtepunt rond 1890, en niet minder dan drie distilleerderijen werden gebouwd te Knockando: Tamdhu, Knockando en Imperial.

Tamdhu werd geopend in 1897.

De distilleerderij werd gesticht door een groep zakenmensen uit de omgeving onder de leiding van William Grant, mededirecteur van Highland Distillers Ltd.
Architekt was Charles Doig en de stichtingskosten waren E 18.200. De eerste manager van Tamdhu was George Reid.

Juli 1997 kwam de eerste 3000 liter spirit uit de ketels, werden afgevuld in Port vaten en verkocht aan Robertson & Baxter.

In 1898 werd Tamdhu aangesloten op The Great North of Scotland Railway en Tamdhu kreeg een eigen spoorwegstation: Dalbeallie. Dat werd na de sluiting van de spoorlijn in 1968 een bezoekerscentrum.

In 1898, aan het eind van het 'seizoen' deed W. Robertson, directeur van Highland Distillers een bod op Tamdhu, en dit bod werd aanvaard op 1 Juli 1898.

Tot 1903 steeg de produktie voortdurend maar als gevolg van het einde van de whiskyboom werd de produktie gehalveerd in de jarem 1906 - 1910.

Tamdhu was gesloten van 1911 tot 1913.

Tamdhu werd in 1927 gesloten tot 1947.

In die jaren werd de whisky van Glenrothes hier gelagerd.

In 1950 werd een Saladin Box systeem geïnstalleerd, Tamdhu is de enige distilleerderij die totaal in eigen behoefte kan voorzien.

In 1972 werden er twee ketels bijgebouwd en weer in 1975.

Tamdhu werd in 1976 voor het eerst als single malt whisky uitgebracht.

Tamdhu is Keltisch en betekent 'kleine zwarte heuvel'.

Het proceswater komt van de Tamdhu Spring, het koelwater van Knockando Burn.

Het meeste van deze single malt whisky gaat in Famous Grouse en Cutty Sark.

De zes met stoom verhitte ketels kunnen 4 miljoen liter spirit per jaar produceren, en is daarmee een grote distilleerderij.
Het water komt van eigen bronnen op het terrein.
De Mash tun is 11 ton. De negen Wash backs zijn elk 60.000 liter.
De drie Wash stills zijn elk 17000 liter, één Spirit stills heeft een inhoud van 22000 liter, twee elk 16000 liter en worden indirect verhit.

PEERLESS
Duncan Taylor & Co, Huntly, Aberdeen.
In 1933 begon Abe Rosenberg, samen met twee broers een drankengroothandel in Syosset te New York.
De Star Liqueor Company verkocht de merken Duncan Taylor, Hartley Parkers en McColls in de staten New York, Connecticut en Miami.
Na de tweede wereldoorlog werd Abe Rosenberg de alleen importeur van J & B blended whisky.
In 1964 begon Abe Rosenberg te investeren in vaten Schotse Single Malt Whisky, en lette bij aankoop in het bijzonder op de soort- en kwaliteit van het hout van de vaten.
De whiskies van Islay hadden zijn bijzondere voorkeur.
In 1994, op 85 jarige leeftijd overleed Abe Rosenberg, en het beheer van zijn omvangrijke erfenis kwam in handen van een liefdadigheidsinstelling, die zijn naam droeg.
Om de erfenis ten gelde te maken zochten de beheerders contact in Schotland en kwamen uiteindelijk in contact met Euan Shand.
Euan Shand, zoon van een vroegere manager van Glendronach, en opgegroeid op de distilleer-derij, ging na zijn opleiding werken bij Allied Distillers te Glasgow, en was ook nog kort tijdelijk manager van Ardmore.
Na een korte onderbreking administrateur - boekhouder startte hij de Bennachie Scotch Whisky Co.
In 1997 kocht Euan Shand de merken Glendarroch en Whisky Galore.
Euan Shand werd koper de whiskyvoorraad en Duncan Taylor & Co.
Deze voorraad bestaat uit ongeveer 4000 vaten whisky, deels inmiddels heel oud en bijzonder.
Macallen, Bowmore, Glen Grant en St. Magdalene, Laphroaig en Bunnahabhain uit 1966, gelagerd in Cognac en Sherryvaten.

November 2009
The Edrington Group plans to put the Tamdhu distillery and maltings in Aberlour
in "care maintenance"from April 2010.
Tamdhu employs 20 staf.
It will concentrate production at The Macallan, Glenrothes and Highland Park.
Glenturret is unaffected by the proposals.
The planned changes would result in a reduction of 31 jobs
Edrington employs 2200 people across the globe with 840 working in Scotland
William Grant, director of Highland Distillers was the driving force behind Tamdhu,

buying land beside Knockando Burn, north of the River Spey in 1896, raised 19.200

Pounds in the venture with 15 partners including the blenders Robertson & Baxter.

The already famous architect was Charles Doig

June 2011
The Edrington Group have sold Tamdhu Distillery to Ian Macleod Distillers
Leonard Russel, managing Director of Ian Macleod Distillerssaid: "Having
purchased Glengoyne Distillery from Edrington in 2003, we are delighted
to be acquiring a second distillery from them, safe in the knowledge that it
has been maintained to be very high standard and comes with a reputation
for producing exceptional quality single malt".
"I am also pleased that we will be securing and creating new local employment
during these uncertaineconomic times.
We are looking forward to developing the Tamdhu single malt following our
Successful growth of Glengoyne.

March 2013
The once moth - balled Tamdhu distillery is to launch its First whisky since reopening and also
giving whisky enthusiasts the chance to wander amongst the stills this day.
The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will play host the relaunche of Tamdhu on 4 May 2013.
Tamdhu was mothballed in 2010 and reopened January 2012.
The Event will support the official global launch of the Tamdhu Core and Limited Edition Whisky
of which only 1000 bottles will be released.

Output: 4.000.000 litres

1896

Founded by a consortium of whiskyblenders

led by William Grant
Architect is Charles Doig
1897

First casks are filled in July
1898

Highland Distillers Company buys Tamdhu
1911

Tamdhu closes
1913

Tamdhu reopens
1928

Tamdhu is mothballed
1948

Tamdhu starts production in July
1950

Tamdhu is rebuilt and the Floor maltings

are replaced by Saladin boxes
1972

Two more stills are added, now 4
1975

The number of stills are increased from 4 to 6
1978

Tamdhu 8 years old is launched
2009

Tamdhu is mothballed
2011

The Edrington Group sells Tamdhu to Ian

Macleod Distillers
2012

Tamdhu produces again
2013

First official release from Ian Macleod Distillers

2015

Tamdhu Batch Strenght released

2017

A 50 year old released

2018

A 12 year old a 15 year old and the Dalbeallie Dram are

released

2019

Ambar and Gran Reserva First Edition are

released for duty free

2020

Oloroso sherry cask for Tamdhu are produced

by Toneleria Tevasa then used for 24 months

by Williams & Humbert

Capacity: 4.000.000 Ltrs

Output: 3.000.000 Ltrs

500.000 ltrs are sold as a

single malt bottling

Iain Whitecross Single Cask and the Cigar Malt

are launched

2021

a 18 years odl is launched matured in frist fill

and refill oloroso American and European

oak, Qyercus Alba Distinction is released

2022

Tamdhu Clu Single Cask, Tamdhu Distiction

are launched

Although a few official single malt bottlings appeared, including a light-bodied 10-year-old, Tamdhu could hardly be regarded as a frontline player. It has a fragrant fruitiness with notes of honey and apple but sufficient weight to cope with ageing in ex-Sherry casks.

Like neighbouring Knockando, this is another late 19th century railway distillery which has quietly provided fillings for blends ever since. It was built in 1897 by a group of blenders headed by William Grant who was both a director of Highland Distillers and, handily enough, on the board of the Elgin bank. The famous distillery designer Charles Doig was the architect. ‘[It is] perhaps the most efficient and designed distillery of its era,’ wrote Alfred Barnard in 1898.

Highland (now Edrington) purchased it outright in 1899, but like many sites it had a rocky time, closing from 1927 and remaining silent for two decades. Soon after its reopening, the old floor maltings were replaced with 10 Saladin boxes, each capable of holding 22 tons of malt. This would become the last site in Scotland to retain this method of malting and was one of the few distilleries in the modern era to malt all of its own requirements (the others being Springbank, Glen Ord and more recently, Roseisle). As well as its own needs, it supplied all of the malt for Glenrothes and the unpeated component of Highland Park’s.

Tamdhu grew substantially in the 1970s with four stills added to the original pair, while a change in wood policy in the 1990s saw it being filled exclusively into Edrington’s bespoke ex-Sherry casks.

Somewhat surprisingly, Edrington mothballed it in 2010, but two years later, Ian MacLeod stepped in. The firm has since installed new washbacks, built new warehouses, opened a visitors' centre (in the old Dalbeallie station) and released a 100% Sherried 10-year-old. Older releases are planned.

CAPACITY (MLPA) i

CONDENSER TYPE i

Tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

59-107hrs

FILLING STRENGTH i

69.8%

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

11.85

HEAT SOURCE i

Steam boiler

MALT SPECIFICATION i

1-2ppm

MALT SUPPLIER i

Crisp and Simpsons

MASH TUN TYPE i

Semi Lauter

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

71%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

14,000

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Onion

STILLS i

WAREHOUSING i

Dunnage and Racks

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

10,031

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Onion

WASHBACK SIZE (L) i

53,500

WASHBACK TYPE i

Wood

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Spring/borehole

WORT CLARITY i

Clear

YEAST TYPE i

Kerry M & MX

Capacity (2020) 4.000.000 Ltrs

Ian Macleod Distillers

2011 - present

The Edrington Group

1999 - 2011

Highland Distillers

1899 - 1999

Tamdhu Distillery Co

1897 - 1899

TAMDHU SINGLE CASK MARKS 120TH ANNIVERSARY

May 2018

Tamdhu has released a single cask whisky chosen by its staff members to celebrate the Speyside distillery’s 120-year anniversary.

Tamdhu’s Single Cask Distillery Team Edition

Natural selection: Tamdhu’s Single Cask Distillery Team Edition was chosen by its distillery staff

Staff at the Speyside distillery blind tasted a range of whiskies of different ages that had been matured in various cask types, including European and American oak Sherry casks.

The whisky eventually chosen to be bottled for Tamdhu’s Single Cask Distillery Team Edition is a 15-year-old matured in a first-fill European oak ex-oloroso Sherry butt.

‘The distillery team had a lot of fun nosing and tasting nine samples’ said Sandy McIntyre, distillery manager at Tamdhu.

‘The final top three were then selected for a blind nosing and tasting and ranked by each of the team members to agree on the winning cask.’

Bottled at 59.3% abv and non-chill-filtered, the Tamdhu 120th anniversary bottling is said to carry notes of ‘sweet and rich muscovado sugar’ and ‘butterscotch with marmalade oranges’.

Only 603 bottles are available for £250 each at tamdhu.com and at the distillery site itself.

Tamdhu first opened in 1897, closing in 1927 only to reopen two decades later. The distillery went on to close again in 2010 before being bought by current owner Ian MacLeod Distillers Ltd in 2011.

IAN MACLEOD DISTILLERS

Ian Macleod Distillers is based at Broxburn, West Lothian, and owns Glengoyne distillery in Stirlingshire and Tamdhu distillery at Knockando on Speyside. Its principal blended brands are Isle of Skye, Smokehead and King Robert, though a range of independent bottlings are also undertaken under the ‘As We Get it’ Chieftain’s and Dun Bheagan banners. As the world’s 10th largest Scotch whisky company, Macleod’s produce and sell over 15 million bottles of spirits every year.

The firm is a major supplier to the ‘buyers’ own brand’ market and has provided own-label spirits to some of Europe's largest supermarket groups for over 40 years. Macleod’s owns 50% of Broxburn Bottlers, with the other 50% being held by J&G Grant of Glenfarclas. The chairman of Ian Macleod is founder Peter Russell, whose son Leonard serves as managing director.

Peter Russell’s father Leonard started out in business as a whisky broker in 1936, expanding into blending and exporting. Peter joined the firm in 1956, and the name Ian Macleod & Co and its Isle of Skye blended Scotch whisky brand was acquired by what had become Peter J Russell & Co in 1963. Ian Macleod & Co had been incorporated in 1933. The unspecified Islay single malt Smokehead, with a singularly contemporary image, was introduced in 2006.

The company achieved a long-held ambition of becoming a distiller when it purchased Glengoyne from The Edrington Group for £7.2 million in 2003. A second distillery, Tamdhu, was acquired from Edrington eight years later, and reopened in 2012 having been mothballed since 2009.

In September 2016 the company bought whisky blender and gin distiller Spencerfield Spirit Company for an undisclosed sum, adding the Pig's Nose, Feathery and Sheep Dip blended Scotch whiskies, and Edinburgh Gin brand to its portfolio.

DISTILLERIES & BRANDS

Duncan MacGregor

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Glen Tress

BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Glengoyne

HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Hedges & Butler

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Isle of Skye

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

King Robert II

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Langs

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Pig's Nose

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

Rosebank

LOWLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Sheep Dip

BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Smokehead

ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Tamdhu

SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

The Feathery

BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

The Queen's Seal

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

The Six Isles

BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Thomson's

BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

ASSOCIATED COMPANIES

Hedges and Butler Limited

Lang Brothers

Spencerfield Spirit Company

TAMDHU 12 TO REPLACE CORE 10-YEAR-OLD WHISKY

October 2018

Speyside distillery Tamdhu has released a 12-year-old entry-level whisky to replace its existing core 10-year-old expression.

The whisky is fully matured in a combination of first-fill and refill American and European oak ex-oloroso Sherry casks, and is bottled at 43%.

Sandy McIntyre, Tamdhu distillery manager, said: ‘The American and European oak soaks up nearly 35 litres of oloroso Sherry during the seasoning process in Jerez, which gives our new Tamdhu 12-year-old its distinctive flavour and striking natural colour.’

The whisky is said to carry notes of ‘cinnamon, dried fruit, banana’ and ‘classic Sherry oak depth’.

The outer packaging also details the importance of Sherry in Tamdhu’s history, as the distillery currently matures its core range exclusively in ex-Sherry casks.

Tamdhu has begun rolling out the 12-year-old worldwide, priced from £45, although the expression won’t see a UK release until early 2019.

The distillery’s latest core range update comes after Tamdhu celebrated its 120th birthday last year.

Despite the landmark anniversary, the distillery was in dire straits just a few years ago: Edrington mothballed Tamdhu in 2010, but Ian MacLeod purchased it two years later, refurbishing and reopening the distillery with new warehouses, washbacks and a visitor centre.

FIRST TAMDHU EXCLUSIVES LAND IN DUTY FREE

November 2018

Tamdhu has released its first two global travel retail-exclusive expressions, Ámbar and Gran Reserva, designed to celebrate the Speyside distillery’s Spanish heritage.

Tamdhu Ambar and Gran Reserva

First flight: Tamdhu's travel retail ambitions are officially taking off with Ámbar and Gran Reserva

Tamdhu Ámbar, named after the Spanish word for amber, is a 14-year-old single malt matured in refill oloroso Sherry casks, and is botted at 43% abv.

Priced at £69.99, the whisky is said to carry notes of ‘sweet biscuit’ on the nose with ‘toffee, ground malt and gingerbread’ on the palate.

Tamdhu Gran Reserva is a no-age-statement single malt matured in first-fill oloroso Sherry casks and is bottled at 46% abv.

Priced at £149.99, Gran Reserva is non-chill filtered, and said to have notes of ‘Sherry sweetness and complex oak’, with ‘beautifully balanced cinnamon’ on the finish.

The two single malts have been released as part of an exclusive partnership with travel retail company Dufry, and are available at World of Whiskies and selected duty free stores in the UK.

William Ovens, global travel retail director for Tamdhu parent company Ian Macleod Distillers, said: ‘We are thrilled to introduce Tamdhu to the travel retail market… We are equally delighted to be working in close and exclusive partnership with Dufry.

‘The introduction of Tamdhu Ámbar and Tamdhu Gran Reserva is just the start of an exciting journey together.’

Tamdhu’s introduction to duty free comes after fellow Ian Macleod single malt Glengoyne unveiled its new travel retail range, a series of four whiskies under the label Spirit of Oak.

Tamdhu launches Dalbeallie Dram at The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

May 2018

Tamdhu Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky has launched an exclusive limited edition malt, the Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram, at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (3-7 May).

The bottling honours Dalbeallie train station, and the part the Victorian railway played in receiving Tamdhu’s precious sherry oak casks from Spain. Dalbeallie Dram is 100% matured in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez in Southern Spain, bottled un-chill-filtered at cask strength (62.1% ABV). Only 1,000 individually numbered bottles will be made available of Collectors Journey 01 with future limited edition Dalbeallie Dram Collectors Journey releases planned annually for each Speyside Festival.

Carefully chosen by a team at the distillery, Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram has notes of blackcurrant jam, mint tea and Bakewell tart on the nose, with sherry oak, cream soda, orange and nutmeg on the palate – then a finish of malt biscuit, dark chocolate and cinnamon. Like every bottle of Tamdhu, the rich natural colour comes from sherry casks alone.

Sandy McIntryre, Tamdhu Distillery Manager, said:

“Having a new expression of Tamdhu is always exciting, and launching to guests during the Speyside Whisky Festival makes it all the more special. John Glass, our Master Blender, prepared a selection of drams for the team to nose and sample before we decided what we thought would best compliment the current Tamdhu range. We are absolutely delighted with the end result.”

Established in 1899, Dalbeallie Station (latterly Knockando Station), which sits next to Tamdhu distillery is a listed building and has been restored over the years to its full splendour – including a ticket office, waiting room and signal box. With finishing touches recently installed, it will host events and tastings at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Festival.

“We owe a big thanks to the railway, and I only wish it was still running to return to those splendid days for Tamdhu. I often imagine the signalman in the old signal box on a dark and wintry night, with a blizzard outside, sitting beside the wood burning stove, waiting for the night train to pass – with a hearty dram or two of Tamdhu to warm him up! You can still see the restored signal box with the old hand operated levers if you walk along the platform”, continued Sandy.

The Limited Edition Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram is a distillery exclusive at www.tamdhu.com, RRP £90/70cl bottle.

2019

Capacity: 4.000.000 Ltrs

Output: 3.100,000 Ltrs

Founded: 1897

Owner: Ian Macleod Distillers

Stills: 3 pairs

Wasbacks: 9

Fermentation: 59 hours

Warehousing: Mix of racked, palletised & dunnage

Cooperage: On site for cask repairs

Tamdhu 50

55.6% ABV

50 years in oak. 120 years in the making.

Distillation Date – 2nd November 1963

Single Cask – First fill European oak sherry butt

Cask Strength – 55.6% VOL.

Bottling date – March 2017

Cask no. – 4678

No. of decanters – 100

The choice of a refill was intentional; that previous batch of Scotch has all but drained the sherry soaked staves of the cask, preventing the subtleties of Glenlivet’s fruit-forward spirit from being smothered.

It has paid off (as the price shows). For a 74 year-old, this is remarkably fresh and vibrant. We’re getting baked fruits. Pineapple tarte tatin, perhaps? The cask has yielded just shy of two hundred bottles, so this won’t be an easy one to find but, every bit worth the hunt.

Tamdhu 18 Year Old

$200

Bottle and glasses of Tamdhu 18 Year Old scotch on a wood table

Credit: Tamdhu

Shorter days and cooler nights naturally lead to Tamdhu. This little-known Speyside single malt has doubled down on rich, weighty scotches by exclusively aging in ex-sherry casks.

Now, sherry is a broad category. These fortified Spanish wines span the whole gamut of flavor. Bone-dry Finos oxidize into nutty, aromatic Amontillados or savory, almost-salty Manzanillas. Olorosos are often warm, spicy, and occasionally vegetal, whilst Pedro Ximénez is unforgivably sweet and rich.

There’s also Palo Cortado, but even those who make it struggle to explain what it is. The main point is that flavor profiles and textures vary drastically. So, when sherry producers hand over their used casks to the Scots, all manner of whisky styles result.

At Tamdhu, ex-oloroso wood is the mainstay. These casks are crafted from either American or European oak. The former imparts coconutty, vanilla-driven flavors, while the latter brings dryer, spicier notes.

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Tamdhu’s 18 Year Old combines both. This is a big, wintery whisky. The bitterness of dark chocolate dominates the nose, with the palate ushering in more citrusy flavors. If you’ve ever stooped so low as to eat an orange slice lingering at the bottom of a pot of mulled wine, that’s what we’re getting here. As heavily sherried drams go, you can’t get much better than this.