Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Tamdhu

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Tamdhu distillerie
Tamdhu Distillery
Knockando, Aberlour
Banffshire
AB38 7RP
+44 1340 872200
Owner: The Edrington Group
Creation date 1897

photos

The Tamdhu distillery has been created in 1896-97 by a blenders group, but became 2 years later part of the Highland Distillers & Co, who still are the owners nowadays.
The distillery has been closed from 1911 to 1913, then from 1927 till 1948 and its production capacity has been doubled in 1972.
During the time it was closed, the distillery has been used as warehouse for Glenrothes distillery.
In 1975 the number of stills grew to 6. The Tamdhu distillery produces its own malt, using a Saladin box.
The major part of the production is used in the blends Famous Grouse, J&B and Cutty Sark.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

See Help 0 - 40 € 40 - 80 € 80 - 120 € 120 - 160 € 160 - 200 € 200 - 240 € 240 - 280 € > 280 €
 Official bottlings: Tamdhu
 

Tamdhu 10 years
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The colour is deep gold. The nose is full and refined, slightly smoked. The palate recalls cereals with an evolution on the fruits.
The finish reveals malted barley and citrus fruits.

(la Maison du Whisky)

 This distillery markets nearly no single malt, but this bottling is a very pleasant surprise. Considering the price-quality rating, it is one of the best surprises I had during the last months. The nose reveals immediately the complexity of the whisky dominated by the malt fragrances, but also some more acid hints. A kind of interesting sweet-sour effect. The taste confirms the first nose impression, and the finish, from average length, is nice too. A very nice bottle for a very nice price.
17/20
The second tasting confirmed especially the slightly acid character of this malt . Even if the acidity is well compensated by the complexity of the fragrances and the taste, it remains a little bit too dominant. For this reason, I changed my quotation. This does not mean this bottle is not really excellent. And the very good quality-price ratio remains....
16/20
The nose is rather dominated by the cereal, with a touch of spices and some citrus fruit hints. In the palate, a complex mix between the acidity of the citrus fruit, the sweetness of the malt and some spicy touches is very pleasant. The finish is clearly on the malt, but is a bit too short.
16/20
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Tamdhu 18 years
Age
 18 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tamdhu 18 ans
The nose is rather floral and spicy, although it has a sweet and slightly smoky character. Some remote hints of pear. In the palate, a pleasant sensation of sweetness, without any aggressiveness but with a nice complexity, from ripe pear to unripe walnut with some light touches of smoke on the background. A nice finish, lingering and pleasant, complex too, recalling the sweetness of the palate (marshmallow) and having a fresh character (mint) and with some woody hints.
18/20
A rather flat nose, marked by cereal and some vanilla notes. Nothing spectacular, but not bad neither.
The mouth is relatively neutral. A rather fresh taste of cereals, a very light bitterness after a while. A good whisky for the aperitif, without any pretention, and without any fault. Just a flat whisky.
The finish is quite short, just prolonging the nose and the mouth. Nothing special.
16/20
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Tamdhu: independent bottlings

Tamdhu
Old & Rare
19 years
1989-2009

Age
 19 ans
Alcohol percentage
 55,8%
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tandhu platinum 19
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Tamdhu
The MacPhail collection 8 years
Age
 8 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail
=25 euros< 25 euros
 

The colour is gold and the nose marked by citrus fruit, spices and cereal. The palate is sweet and slightly grilled. The pleasant final comes back on the malt sweetness.   

(la Maison du Whisky)

The nose detects some discrete orange or lemon hints on a malt background. The taste confirms the good impression from the nosing. A good whisky, with the sweetness of the malt  and some slightly acid hints of citrus fruits. Though the finish could be longer, the whole is very pleasant..
17/20
The nose was still very discrete during the second tasting, with some light hints of citrus fruit and malt. The smells seem to be "watered down". In the palate, few complexity. Malt with a touch of acidity. A short and flat finish.
15/20
The nose is pleasantly sweet, slightly honeyish with a touch of spices and vanilla. In the palate, behind the watery feeling, subtle slightly bitter hints mixed with discrete citrus touches. A clear lack at complexity and texture. The finish is quite bitter, and not really interesting.
15/20
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Tamdhu
The MacPhail collection
vintage 1962
Age
 44 years
Alcohol percentage
 43%
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
Tamdhu 1962
A very nice nose consisting of a mix of malt and sherry. Nice complexity with some hints of yeast, a touch of woody bitterness and nice fruity fragrances (plum). After a while some additional smells of nuts, a touch of vanilla appear and the sherry notes seem to be more refined. The less pleasant smells (yeast) disappear completely. It seems aeration is very helpful for this whisky.
The first mouth is rather acid and bitter before developing on alcohol tingling and then the palate becomes much smoother and reveals the complexity of this whisky.
The finish is rather fresh and very long, first on pure chocolate notes developing slowly on smoother hints, leaving sherry as only memory after a while.
18/20
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Tamdhu
Hart Brothers
33 years

Age
 33 years
Alcohol percentage
 40,5%
Particularity
 Natural Cask Strength
Bottler
 Hart Brothers
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 Quite soft on the nose with a light flowery lemony impact. A definite hint of fruit, not sultanas or fig, more banana or melon. Very clean, quite light, with no woodiness. This would go nicely on Burns Night with haggis and neeps.

This appreciation was by Alistair Hart dated
9th June 2003
 
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Tamdhu
(Bladnoch bottling)
15 years

Age
 15 years
Alcohol percentage
 61,7%
Particularity
 Natural Cask Strength
Bottler
 Raymond Armstrong
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tamdhu: Bladnoch bottling

The nose is clearly complex, first pungent (quite normal with such a percentage of alcohol), but after a while, it reveals nice citrus hints, and all the aggressivity has disappeared. After some minutes, amazing hints of grenadine are completing the whole.
In the palate, this whisky is surprising as well. First on citrus fruits (some kind of bitter orange - for the fresh character of the spirit - , smeared with honey - for the unexpected smoothness). Some discrete woody hints mixed with sweet-sour hints, somewhere between tangerine and malted barley. A very amazing bottle.
The finish is warm and long, with some memories of malted barley and sweet-bitter oranges.
18/20
The nose is pleasantly marked by wax hints, walnut and nice fruity touches. A mix of marshmallow and green apples with a touch of acid drop. Cut grass. A great freshness and a very promising nose.
The mouth is nicely fruity and acid. Nice complexity. Citrus fruits and honey, with as light aftertaste of cashew nuts.
The finish is long and pleasant and remains on the acid register.
18/20

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Tamdhu
15 years - Adelphi
cask 8126

Age
 15 years
Alcohol percentage
 57,3%
Bottler
 Adelphi
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tamdhu Adelphi 15 years
The nose is full of nuances, from a slight pine resin smell to mint through all the possible cut grass nuances, those of citrus fruit and finally some hints of beer.
In the palate, a real firework of tastes, beginning by quite a marked citrus acidity developing slowly on nutty than malty notes. Very interesting experience, very rich aroma diversity.
The finish is rather long, marked by both an alcohol impression (which was curiously absent in the mouth) and bitter (unripe walnut) notes before finishing on smooth malty notes.
18/20
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Tamdhu: samples

Tamdhu
1961
Rare Old

Age
 38 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
The nose is exceptionally rich and pleasant. Clear fruity notes and some pepper on the background. A real explosion of both sweet and acid notes, and no woody fragrances despite the number of years spent in the cask. Gingerbread.
The first contact in the palate is dry, and the taste developes quickly to the fragrances announced by the nose, and now some very fine wood notes appear.
The finish is rather bitter and relatively short. The memory of a kind of bitterness stays for a while.
19/20
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Tamdhu
Reserve 1973-2008
(For Netherlands)
Age
 35 ans
Taux d'alcool
 56%
Embouteilleur
 Gordon & MacPhail
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tamdhu Gordon MacPhail 1973-2008
Quite a spicy nose with pleasant hints of malt and a touch of smoke. Interesting nose, but not transcendent.
The palate is very pleasantly complex, developing gently on sherry notes mixed wit nutty hints. Nice notes of slightly acid red fruit (red currant) are present too.
The finish is lingering and warm, marked by notes of ripe fruit and very nice nutty memories.
18/20
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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