EScotland, Central Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Tullibardine

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Tullibardine distillery
Tullibardine Distillery
Black ford, Yachter
Perthshire
PH4 1QG
+44 1764 682 252
Owner Tullibardine Ltd
Creation date1949

photos Comment visit

The village of Blackford is known for his brewery since the 15th century, and whisky has been produced there as soon as 1700.
However, the current Tullibardine distillery is more recent as it has been build in 1949 on the site of an old brewery.
The distillery has been build by the well known architect Delmé Evans who also built amongst others, the distillery of Glenallachie and Jura. Evans died on 6 october 2003, aged 83.
The distillery has been bought in 1953 by a Glasgow broker, Brodie Hepburn and became part or the Invergordon Distillers in 1971. It capacity has been doubled in 1974, but the distillery has been mothballed in 19950.
Its current owners, Whyte and Mackay have made important alteration works in order to resume the whisky production during 2004.
A small part of the production is marketed as single malt, the remaining being used in blends like Scots Grey and Glenfoyle.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Tullibardine: official bottlings
 

Tullibardine 10 years
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 
A rather neutral nose, followed by a pleasant but very dry taste, with malt hints, but dry malt hints, without the sugar aspects which characterizes it so often... The whole is rather dry, not really complex, with a final recalling the taste of cheap sherry. But the cheap aspect of this bottling makes is rather likeable.
15/20  
May be a consequence of airing, the second tasting resulted in a different opinion about this malt. The nose is rather sweet and balances, and recalls cut grass with slight citrus hints on a discrete malt background. In the palate, the taste seems to confirm the nose. The dryness from the first tasting has disappeared. The pleasant finish, rather short, is sweet and floral.
16/20
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Tullibardine 1993
Age
 10 years
Alcohol percentage
 40%
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 
This malt is pleasant, that's it. The nose is dominated by malt. The smell and the taste do not have a complex character. Therefore, this bottle is not essential. On the other hand, it represents a rather good quality-price ratio. 
16/20.
The nose is marked by malt and some discrete leather hints. The palate recognizes the malt as well, but also some mix of flowers and ripe fruits, which make it a rather sweet and pleasant whisky, but without complexity. The finish is pleasant too, with however some alcohol touches on the background.
16/20
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Tullibardine 1992
Age
 14 ans
Taux d'alcool
46%
Embouteilleur
 Officiel
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tullibardine 92
Nice fruity and floral sensations. Discrete eucalyptus and citrus fruits hints mix with some slightly acid smells.
In the mouth, an explosion on fruits. Great smoothness and a kind of complexity.
Finish is lingering and fresh, still with this nice fruity impression.
18/20
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Tullibardine
John Black's selection
1986-2005

Age
 19 years
Alcohol percentage
 51.9%
Bottler
 Officiel
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tullibardine John Black's selection

The nose is clearly marked by sherry and presents nice smoky notes. Very rich and complex, the pleasure the nose gives is enhanced by dry fruit smells and slightly woody touches.
The mouth is clearly sherryish too, with first an intense bitterness followed by quite acid notes, before developing on a nice balance mixing sherry with fruity and woody notes. A very pleasant mouth.
The finish is pleasant and lingering, warm and slightly dominated by woody notes unsuccessfully trying to hide the sherry hints. An alcohol impression is amazingly present at the finish. Amazing, because neither at the nose nor in the palate, any alcohol hinder was detected. The whole is really nice.
19/20
A kind of sherry shower overwhelms the nose. In addition, nice floral notes and a touch of liquorice and a light veil of smoke on the background. Some touches of walnut complete the picture.
The mouth develops between a first acidity and some slightly refined woody notes while remaining clearly dominated by sherry. Some notes of chocolate, the whole in a nice balance.
A lingering finish, prolonging perfectly the mouth feelings: sherry, nuts and a hint of fruit.

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Tullibardine: independent bottlers

Tullibardine
Daily Dram
Daintier Bull
Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 54,8%
Bottler
 Daily Dram
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Tullibardine Daintier Bull
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Tullibardine: samples

Tullibardine
Scott's selection
1989-2005
Age
 16 years
Alcohol percentage
 55.1%
Bottler
 Scott's Selection
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
Quite a discrete nose, essentially marked by malt and some hints of yeast. Rather complex and far from unpleasant, this nose gives a freshness impression tempered by heady fruity hints.
In the palate, a mix of acidity and too ripe fruits, a kind of interesting sweet-sour stuff, but without complexity.
The finish is very sweet, close to be sickly. A kind of not very pleasant syrupy impression.
17/20
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Central Highlands

Central Highlands map

The County of Perth, between the Lowlands and the Higlands is famous for its hilly landscapes.
About one hundred distilleries were settled in the area during the 19th century, and just a few of them survived, and some others were build during the 20th century. The area is wider than just the Perth county, as Dalwinnie, in the South of Inverness county is also included in that area.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Central Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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