“Old and Wise”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Tamdhu 1984 (Scott's Selection)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 27 Years
ABV: 49.6%
Colour: Golden
Nose: Mature and Floral with Heather Honey, Sherry, Dried Fruits like Raisins, Dates and Apricots, Sweet Barley, Golden Syrup, Buttered Toast and Orange Marmalade, Toffee, Butterscotch, Dry Earth, slightly Sour Red Apples, Peach, Vanilla sauce, Bourbon, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint and distant hints of Leather and Tobacco. The Oak and Alcohol are present of course but they are quite nicely integrated with the other Aromas. Can a Whisky smell Creamy? This Tamdhu does in my opinion.
Palate: Strong, Spicy and Sweet-Sour Delivery with Malt, Orange Marmalade, Sponge Cake, Red Grapes, Red Apples, Dried Fruits and Nuts, Heather Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Mint, Pepper, Ginger, light Salty Licorice, Dry Earth and a bit of Lemon. The Alcohol and Oak are more noticeable here.
Finish: Middle-Long, Woody and Spicy with Toast (the Dutch Beschuit) with little Aniseed balls, Pepper, Mint, Heather Honey, Orange Marmalade, Dried Apricot, Raisins, Malt and Oak. Quite Dry in the end. The Alcohol is more present here.
I added a bit of Water and the Nose shows even more Floral - and Malty notes. Spice, Honey, Red Fruit, Licorice and Aniseed lead the way on the Palate and in the Finish. The Alcohol calms down this way. This Tamdhu certainly accepts a little Water.
Rating: 85
Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 21.5
Stills at Tamdhu
General Remarks: The Tamdhu Distillery was founded in 1896 by a group of Whisky Blenders of which William Grant was the most important. It is located in Knockando/Aberlour in Morayshire. It closed from 1911 to 1913, 1928 to 1948 and 2009-2011 when it was bought by the current owners Ian MacLeod. Under the old owners (The Edrington Group) most of the Spirit went into Blends like Cutty Sark, Vat 69, White Horse, The Famous Grouse and J&B. The new owners however are keen to put Tamdhu on the Whisky map as a premium Single Malt. But of course it will also be used for MacLeod's own Blends like King Robert II. The Tamdhu I'm tasting today was distilled in 1984 when the distillery was still owned by Robertson & Baxter (Edrington).
The Scott's Selection is a collection of Single Malts handpicked by Robert Scott, the former Master Blender at Speyside Distillers in Glasgow. This Tamdhu is bottled at Cask Strength and not Chill-Filtered. Scott's Selection organised its last Whisky Tasting Event on September 13, 2014 in Roosendaal, Holland. The Tamdhu I am reviewing today was distilled in 1984 and bottled in October 2011. It matured in an Ex-Sherry Hogshead (Cask # 2841) and costs an average 140 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: This is my first Tamdhu and also one of the oldest Whiskies I've tasted so far. It certainly did not disappoint. The Barley is Fat and Juicy and I can see why Blend producers would like to include Tamdhu in the mix. I quite like the Nose that presents a mature, balanced and creamy mix of Fruit, Honey, Malt and Butterscotch. Palate and Finish are not quite as balanced. The age is showing and Oak and Alcohol are a bit too present there. The Finish is on the short side and quite Dry with a very distinctive Aniseed note. Despite the flaws, I enjoyed tasting this Tamdhu. Good Price/Age/Quality ratio.
Jan van den Ende July 30, 2015
