Two or three Tamdhu ex-oloroso


November 4, 2024

Two or three Tamdhu ex-oloroso

Tamdhu Distillery, no pagodas but it's still beautful (Ian MacLeod)

In truth, our main interest was in tasting the newly released 43-year-old, which made its debut earlier this year. We had sampled it at the Whisky Show in London, and this time, its substance perfectly matched its impressive appearance—a rare feat that isn’t always the case elsewhere. But for now, let’s start with a small aperitif or two…

Tamdhu 15 yo (46%, OB, first fill oloroso, +/-2024)

We tasted a 2019 version of this 15-year-old, which back then appeared to be a 'limited release'—or so it seemed. Either it’s since joined the core range or has stayed ‘limited’, but aren’t all malts somewhat limited in their own way? Colour: amber gold. Nose: a touch of burnt wood right up front, followed by moreish dark chocolate and a double espresso. Behind that, hints of aged copper, crème brûlée, and walnut liqueur, with singed raisins that spent a little too long in the oven. I’m also picking up a charming rancio. Mouth: a superbly bitter opening, full of walnuts and bitter almonds, quickly joined by the quintessential bitter oranges, tobacco, leather, a whiff of curry spices, and a distinctly turmeric-like note. That espresso and the scorched raisins keep making an appearance. Finish: long, dry, and rather heavy on some acidic and bitter coffee, with more walnut. Thoroughly ‘oloroso’, with oak becoming more assertive on the back end. Comments: I think I’m revisiting that nicely dry, almost austere style it showed the first time. Just how we like it at Château WF.
SGP: 461 - 85 points.

Tamdhu 18 yo (46.8%, OB, first fill oloroso, +/-2024)

We didn’t particularly love the last 18-year-old we tried (WF 78), but that was an official bottling from around 2008, sporting a very different design and marred by a faintly cardboard-like profile—less common in today’s Scotch malt, thankfully. Once again, this one is entirely from oloroso-prepped casks. Colour: slightly darker amber. Nose: a style quite akin to the 15, though gentler, with more sultanas, cloves, and a gradual build of spices and green walnuts heading in a different direction. There’s peach skin, chocolate, cherry liqueur, roasted peanuts, sticky toffee pudding, and brownies… Intriguingly, it opens, closes, then opens again over the minutes. Mouth: even closer to the 15, with a fine array of bitters, bitter walnuts, dark chocolate, heavily roasted hazelnuts and pecans, pipe tobacco, toasted rye bread, malt extract, and bitter orange. Finish: much the same structure as the 15, laden with coffee, walnut, clove, oak, and with impressive length. The oak is fairly pronounced. Comments: a beautiful austerity here, both the 15 and the 18 are commendably strict, so to speak.
SGP: 461 - 86 points.

Tamdhu 43 yo ‘Forty Three’ (50.8%, OB, The Dedication Collection, oloroso sherry, casks #234 + 236 + 1319, 100 bottles, 2024)

This sumptuously presented bottle brings together two 1978 casks and one from 1979, though calling it a ‘multi-vintage bottling’ might be a touch grandiose. Colour: amber with copper hues. Nose: a shift away from the classic coffee, chocolate, and roasted walnut territory, venturing instead into something more floral, fruity, and almost jammy. Notes of prune, damp earth, very dark pipe tobacco, and wafts of peony and forest floor emerge, followed by a beautifully refreshing eucalyptus and menthol. The complexity deepens over time, giving the impression of sniffing a black Dunhill pipe tobacco tin, an intensely rich blend. With a drop of water: it leans a bit toward the 18-yo, yet retains its striking coherence and layered complexity. Dried figs of every sort spring to life, complementing that deep pipe tobacco. Mouth (neat): an exquisite interplay of pepper and dried fruits, with dried pear slices, papaya, burnt raisins, very earthy humus, Chinese mushrooms, petite dried figs, and roasted pecans. A stunning trio of liquorice, mint, and pepper ties everything together seamlessly. It brings to mind a well-aged armagnac, lovingly kept in reserve. With water: deeply impressive, with that peppery spine remaining intact throughout. Bitter oranges, tobacco, dry liquorice wood, and very dry sultanas shine through. Finish: splendidly long, maintaining a balance that is at once complex yet wonderfully compact. Comments: a true old-school Tamdhu, evoking memories of some venerable old Craigellachie bottlings from its former stablemate, which begins with an M. Let’s remember that both distilleries were once part of the Highland Distillers/Edrington fold, before Tamdhu was sold to Ian MacLeod in 2011 following a period of closure. It’s also worth noting Tamdhu has proudly upheld the tradition of all-sherry maturation that once defined its illustrious counterpart. A superb 43 indeed!
SGP: 561 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Tamdhu we've tasted so far