Tamdhu 18 yo (46.8%, OB, 2022)
A brand new official 18yo that has been 'exclusively matured in sherry oak'. On the surface this ticks many boxes and Tamdhu usually pairs very well with sherry, so… Colour: amber. Nose: leafy and milk-chocolatey to begin, soft notes of praline, toasted almonds, walnuts, marzipan and dark fruit cake with a wee suggestion of pine needles. All extremely classical, easy and impressively reminiscent of some older batches of the old OB 15yo from the 1980s in some respects. I get the feeling the ABV is also doing some heavy lifting here… Mouth: excellent power on arrival. Sultanas, leathery vibes, suet, cellar earth, wine must and just a few darker wood spice tones such as clove and nutmeg coming through. Feels like the European oak component has a slightly more assertive voice on the palate. Nicely chewy and weighty in the mouth with still quite a few sultana and boozy dark fruit cake flavours. Finish: medium-long in length, darker notes of coffee grounds and black tea, along with a touch of mushroom powder and aged calvados. Comments: this one works very well in my view. A proper ABV combined with a sherry profile that really harks back to slightly older school sherry cask flavours without leaning heavily on this 'seasoned' very wood-forwards style. Could effortlessly line many crystal tumblers across the land come Christmas time - or is that ridiculously old fashioned of me? Anyway, an excellently composed, eminently quaffable drop I think.
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Tamdhu 1973/2008 (56.0%, Gordon & MacPhail 'Reserve', cask #3230, 1st fill sherry butt, 481 bottles)
We poured this one for this year's Whisky Show Old & Rare sherries whiskies tasting - it was a hit! Colour: orangey amber. Nose: yup! Quinces, chocolate caramel sauce, hessian cloth, kirsch and all the usual suspects: figs, sultanas, tobacco etc… there's also a rather elegant honeyed side along with some aged balsamic. With water: much leafier and mulchier, on gingerbread, tobacco leaf, turmeric, cloves and date molasses. Outstanding, rich, old style sherry! Mouth: wonderful concentration of sticky dark fruits, wormwood, herbal tonic wines, exotic fruit teas and crystallised citrus peels. Superb resinous profile and thickness on the palate. With water: broader and more complex. Also a little drier and quite a bit spicier now with black pepper, cinnamon, mustard powder and dried herbs. Some mentholated qualities emerging too. Finish: long, elegantly spicy, bitter herbal vibes, teas and more things like balsamic and rancio notes. Comments: a brilliant old school sherry cask and top class Tamdhu distillate. You just need to enjoy this rather spicy profile - which I certainly do.
SGP: 562 - 91 points.