Tamdhu 1973 / 2008 Gordon & Macphail Reserve, 1st fill sherry butt no. 3230
Another 6 still 4.5 million litre a year blending machine. Quite a few of those finding their way into indie bottles too. No complaints here.
Being distilled in 1973, this was just a few years before the original 2 still distillery was expanded twice to its current 6 still set up.
Bit of a twist to its tale too. Tamdhu was mothballed in April 2010 with its future in doubt, the Edrington group (Macallan, Highland Park) then sold it to Ian Macleod distillers in June 2011, and it has since been back at work as of May 2013.
Fun fact: Tamdhu was the last Scottish distillery to operate Saladin boxes for its malt.
Yup looks a bit industrial. No pagodas here.
Tamdhu 1973 / 2008 Gordon & Macphail Reserve, 1st fill sherry butt no. 3230, 481 bottles, 56%
Nose: Yup, the nose matches its label. Definitely sherried (first fill!) and not shy about it. This time golden syrup and honey comb. Punchy! All fresh pound cake and berry crumble with vanilla ice cream topped with candied ginger – a lot of it. Big nose but fairly ‘distinct’. Also new leather and creme polish. Whole nose nicely framed in oak. Wood spice. Fresh but not ‘young’. With water: More cedar-y now, and more leatheriness. Much rounder and much more complex even. Ripe pears and berries too.
Palette: Bold and spicy! Spice cabinet, with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves bursting out, giving it some heat, though not exceedingly sweet. Now it turns to black tea, ginger, some menthol, cedar and leather again, its a bit subtle and complex at this point but then the finish approaches. Turns dry and leafy with some tannins.
Finish: Long, dry, leafy woody aftertaste.
If this were a lady, she would be a Charlize Theron, beautifully formed, well proportioned, elegant and classy. A standard to aspire to for all generations.
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