Tamdhu 10 Years Old 2013 The Alba Trail (Alba Import)

This Tamdhu was from the independent bottler Alba Import, a 10 year old release from 2013 and bottled at 46%. Tamdhu, founded in 1897 by a group of blenders at Knockando on the River Spey, is famed for its sherry cask whisky. Under Ian Macleod it is matured chiefly in sherry seasoned Spanish and American oak.

It was worked through onion stills for a rich Speyside spirit, then filled into sherry seasoned casks, the heart of the Tamdhu style. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. At a youthful age the fruit is vivid and the sherry clear. Refill oak lets the fruity distillery character lead beneath the sherry. The arrival of the Strathspey railway in the 1860s made the distillery possible. For decades its malt fed blends such as the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. Mothballed in 2010, the distillery was revived by Ian Macleod and relaunched in 2013. Sherry casks, both Spanish and American oak, define the modern Tamdhu.

At 46% it is soft, fruity and sherried. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, nuts and a soft spice. The mouthfeel is rich, the fruit carried on a sherried body. Fig, raisin and oak see out a long finish. This is Tamdhu's classic sherried Speyside style.