Wednesday 4 September 2013

Tamdhu 1969 Vintage 34 Year Old (D&T)


Spirit Name:
Spirit Type:
Rating:
Tamdhu 1969 Vintage 34 Year Old (D&T)
Single malt

Score:
81/100
ABV:
40%
Region:
Speyside, Scotland
Body:
Medium
Intensity:
Medium
Texture:
Medium-oily
Balance:
Good
Best served:
Neat

Theme(s):
An energetic and sharp whisky with a big bitter oak dominated character that skews the balance, though it does offer a fascinating and complex nose

Tasting notes:

Tamdhu was once closed, but now it is churning out whisky under the banner of Ian MacLeod Distillers. This particular expression is an independent bottling of a 1969 vintage by Duncan & Taylor and so it is a great opportunity to peer into the past of Tamdhu’s production before it died… and then rose from the grave. During my blind tasting I did not know the age of this whisky, but it did seem a little overcooked. Now I know it is 34 years old.  

Nose: Light, fresh and crisp. There are shimmers of cereal amidst the tart, oak laden, fruit that bring a sharp bite of ethanol. Softened by chocolate fudge and vanilla, the gentle aroma of coconut fills the glass almost like lamington as black forest cake develops with cream and sour cherries.

Taste: Bitter, sharp and difficult to capture. Ethanol radiates from the palate with notes of cocoa and bitter melon towards the finish. The bitterness takes over towards the end, indicating a whisky that is old and tired. I find this whisky quite one dimensional and oaked to the rafters.

Finish: Have you ever bitten into an under-ripe peach or tried bitter melon? This had a similar, dry and tart, finish though of course not as intense thanks to the sugars which act as a counterbalance.

Likes:
Complex nose, sharp and crisp
Dislikes:
Skewed to the bitter side, big oak influence particularly on the finish

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