
July 7, 2016

Little duets, today Tamdhu

Time gap today, 55 years.

Tamdhu 10 yo (43%, OB, +/-2015)

I really enjoyed the new 10 by Ian McLeod when it first came out, and that was even one at 40% vol., while this one should be bigger. Love this very Victorian statement on the box, ‘industry and endeavour’. Colour: full gold. Nose: really very malty and cake-y, with some Ovaltine and some café latte. Then rather marmalade and a good slice of soft cinnamon cake. A beehive isn’t too far either. There’s quite some sherry, for sure, which translates into not-too-sweet raisins and the usual walnut cake. Mouth: excellent arrival, with some mint and some sultanas, while it would rather unfold with more cinnamon and walnut cakes, as well as a little pipe tobacco. Dried figs. I find this excellent. Finish: medium, very lightly smoky, then with even more raisins. Kugelhopf and panettone. Comments: excellent, really. One of the very better entry-level official Speysiders if you ask me, less dry than the first batches. Perfect daily dram. SGP:451 - 86 points.

Shall we find some kind of parentage with this baby?...

Tamdhu 23 yo 1950/1973 (83° proof, OB, Highland Distillers)

Another very interesting example of an early official ‘vintaged’ single malt Scotch whisky. No need to tell you how rare these old bottles are. Colour: light gold. Nose: as often with these older distillates, there’s more smoke, more soot, more phenols, more depth, and less fruits. It’s not that it’s metallic, it’s a whole box of old kitchen utensils, with some aluminium, tin, silverware… And then there’s some used engine oil, old stale spices, dried flowers, and a growing meatiness, between chicken and beef soups and bouillons. Totally ‘very old malt whisky’, as you can see. Mouth: exceptional. The fruits take the lead, with kumquats (#1 fruit in the Netherlands, I’ve heard), dried longans and litchis, figs, raisins, even dried pears and bananas… And all that is coated with some kind of peppery herbalness. Do you know Indian long pepper? And do you also know Timut pepper? Magnificent spices! They’re in there. Finish: medium, superbly fruity/spicy. It’s not fruity and spicy, both are totally integrated, like in, yeah, Timut pepper. Really, if you haven’t yet, try Timut pepper. Comments: the nose was very nice, yet akin to those of many old bottles, while the palate was simply out of this world, with a flabbergasting complexity. Amazingly astounding (I think we got you, S.). Thank you mucho, Mr Angus. SGP:562 - 94 points.

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