Every so often, we get the pleasure of trying something genuinely new. Usually it is a dram that we haven’t had, whether that is a limited edition, or a different finish or just a new whisky to market. Very rarely do we get the pleasure that we have today, a distillery that remains entirely new to us.
Tamdhu Distillery is a Scottish distillery, located in Knockando, Banffshire. It was opened in 1896 and remained in production, save for two periods of dormancy or closure. The dormancy period was between 1927 and 1947 and the brief closure between 2010 and 2013. Close to the River Spey, the distillery takes its water from the nearby Knockando burn.
Today’s review is the recently relaunched ten year old.
Tamdhu 10 Year Old
Price: £30 – 40
ABV: 40%
Appearance: Golden Amber
Aroma: Highland Toffee, Oloroso Sherry Fruit and Baked Apple.
Taste: Initially this is a very light and smooth dram. There is a sweet honeyed base and over the top there are floral, pollen like notes.
In the middle there is a buttery toffee popcorn, which combines with an apple fruit, orange zest and cinnamon spice.
Finally, as the whisky sits on the palate, the spice opens up, bares its wooden soul and exposes itself to your tongue. Here there is a smoke
Mouthfeel: Sweet, light and some spice.
Overall: This is a lightly sherried speyside dram, which has a good balance of flavours. As an entry level Speyside, there are the usual sweet honeyed sweetness, the floral, fruity esters and the light oak spicing flavours. However here there are also the sherry flavours that come from the whisky being matured fully in sherry casks and the sneaky wisp of peat smoke that drifts across the palate late in the day.
Real Dram Factor: 7.2
Source: Tweet Tasting Sample
More Information:
Tamdhu 10 Year Old from Tamdhu on Vimeo.
Buy Online: Master of Malt – Tamdhu 10 70cl : £34.84 or Amazon – Tamdhu 10 70cl : £31.99