This review of the Tamdhu 12 year old is part of the ongoing series on sherry cask entry-level single malts. Once an almost forgotten distillery, the current owners are investing to raise the profile of this brand. Aged exclusively in Sherry casks, I bought this 12-year-old expecting a Sherry-forward dram, maybe even a Sherry bomb. Isn’t it fun when your expectations are thrown for a loop?
TL:DR: A very elegant and gentle entry-level sherried whisky. One for those who find sherry bombs too much.
Vote*: 7 very good stuff
Old brand, new focus
I came across Tamdhu quite early in my whisky re-exploration. I was looking for suggestions for Sherry cask aged entry-level single malts beyond the obvious GlenDronach and GlenAllachie. Someone suggested Tamdhu 12 as a top pick. I still remember the statement: “it is what Macallan used to be without the silly price”. Although I’d be tempted to compare the two, I have too many bottles on my wish list to blow 100€ on the entry-level Macallan 12 Sherry wood.
The irony about the statement is that Tamdhu used to be part of Edrington, Macallan’s parent company. Edrington and the previous owners, Highland Distillers (acquired by Edrington), mostly used Tamdhu whisky for blending. After acquiring the distillery from Edrington in 2011, the new owners Ian Macleod Distillers invested in revamping the brand.
As with the other Macleod owned operating distillery of Glengoyne, Tamdhu has had its share of critiques. Many whisky geeks feel that they missed an opportunity by not bottling their entire lineup as integrity whisky. In particular, the main issue is with the chill filtration and 43% ABV. For my money, I am approaching this review of the Tamdhu 12 year old with an open mind, after all, even at 40% there can be some tasty malts.
Tamdhu 12 years old
Specs
Price paid: € 49.50
Lot/bottled date: L 22 10 21
ABV: 43%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: No
Casks Used: Sherry oak casks, oloroso according to the box holding the bottle
Tasting Notes
Colour: rich russet gold. Considering this seems to be the colour most standard 40%, caramel coloured aim for, should this maybe be considered “the golden standard”?
Nose: This is a sweet and gently spiced dram, The first impression is like smelling a baked apple, pear and raisin turnover with a touch of marzipan, carefully spiced with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon spice. There is a persistent fine note of orange peel in the background. Hiding behind these stronger notes there is a faint green almost salty note, maybe green olive. With a little air, some menthol and a very slight ashy note develop in the glass.
Taste: While this is definitely not an oily whisky, it does not come across as thin. The flavours don’t explode in your mouth, as I get with some whisky, but they stay on your palate for a long time. Like the nose, the palate is gentle and elegant too. The main notes are caramel, milk coffee, malted biscuit, with some sherry nuts and dried fruit and a hint of that ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon spice.
Finish: The finish is medium long. There is filter coffee, ginger spice, toffee, and a hint of char. Some oak with a very fine tannic mouthfeel.
Vote*: 7 Although there is a little voice in my head telling me I shouldn’t score this high because of its 43% ABV and chill-filtration, I have to admit that this is an elegant and very pleasant dram. If you find sherry bombs whiskies too much for your taste this may be a good option to give Sherry cask aged malts a chance.
* Votes are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Conclusions
I have to admit that when I got the Tamdhu 12 in my hands, before sampling and reviewing it, I expected something very different. Since the producer clearly states the spirit is aged only in Oloroso and PX casks I expected a sherry bomb of notable heft. What I got instead is an example of elegant and gentle sherry influence which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I have no idea how Tamdhu achieves this result but I can imagine some smart use of refill sherry casks is probably one of the factors, if not the main one. What the Tamdhu 12 made me realise is that, while I do enjoy a good Sherry Bomb from time to time, where any cask influence shines is when it lets the original spirit be itself, either as an equal partner or even the main character of the whisky. Whsky is like school… you learn something new every day with every dram.
I always find it interesting, after writing my tasting notes, to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the I enjoyed:
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