Tamdhu 18 Year Old Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Tamdhu is one of many Scottish distilleries as part of the late 19th century whisky boom, and like most of those founded in that era, it was located first and foremost for proximity to a railroad. It closed between 1927 and 1947, was mothballed again in 2010, but then acquired by Ian Macleod Distillers and reopened. The change in ownership also signaled it stepping into making single malt expressions under its own name; prior to that, Tamdhu mostly provided stock whisky for blends, and Tamdhu single malt bottlings were the province of negociants.

Tamdhu single malts are noted mainly for their sherry-forward style, and this 18 year old represents the top of the current range in regular release.

The Scotch
The Sherry butt rises right out of the amber-colored liquid to greet you with this pour. The nose leads with a bowl of rum-soaked raisins, cookie spices and orange zest. From there, the flavor evolves to something like fruit cake, with it’s mix of boozy dried fruits and a non-descript earthiness couples, with a dusting of cinnamon and vanilla drizzle, served on a wafer-thin, dry platter of oak. The finish is dry, earthy and a touch peppery, but develops a sweet, caramel-candy accent as it continues.

This is a solid example of an older, but still middle aged, Sherried single malt. Considering the price tag, it punches above its weight. I consider it a B+ cusping on A- whisky, but not so much that I actually spent any time dithering about it. Tamdhu 18 is very, very good, but lacks that extra something special needed to break into the A grade class.

The Price
Officially, expect to pay £185 ($240).