Tamdhu is a fairly unknown distillery and judging by the quality of their original bottlings, that won’t change any time soon. Almost all of its production is used for blends, most notably Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. There are some excellent independent bottlings out there, polishing the reputation of this Speyside distillery a bit. For example, Van Wees has released some excellent six, seven and eight year old Tamdhu’s in recent years. But this Tamdhu by Gordon & MacPhail is a lot older.
Yup, it’s the oldest whisky I’ve had so far. A respectable 46 years old, distilled in 1962, a good 23 years before I was born. It’s seems even more impressive now that I see it in writing. Is its old age any indication for its quality? Let’s see.
Tamdhu 1962/2008 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail)
Nose: Very deep and dark dried red fruits. There’s some charred oak wood along with a plethora of tropical fruit. These are normally all very dominant aromas, but not with this Tamdhu. It’s very balanced.
Taste: The raspberry taste is what stands out the most. Also some red fruit, cherry, caramel and fudge. The mouthfeel is bit thin, sort of like a rosé wine. That might normally indicate watery, but that’s really not an accurate description. Thin is the best I can come up with.
Finish: This is the part I like best about this Tamdhu. A bit peppery, lots of raspberry. Sugary and caramel. And best of all, it’s very long.
Rating: 90
A lovely whisky, nothing else to add.
