Tamdhu 10 Years Old 2013 Cask #2465 (BB&R)

Berry Bros & Rudd selected this Tamdhu, a 10 year old Speyside malt from 2013, drawn from cask 2465 and bottled at 64.6%. 269 bottles in all. Tamdhu was built in 1897 by the Spey at Knockando, and it long fed blends before its single malt revival. Ian Macleod runs Tamdhu alongside Glengoyne and Rosebank.

It was drawn off copper pot stills fed by the Tamdhu Spring, for the full, fruity make that suits sherry maturation. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, lending vanilla and honey. Younger here, it keeps a lively fruit over a developing sherry depth. Spanish and American oak sherry casks build the layered Tamdhu profile. The Spey valley's cool air gives a slow, even maturation in the warehouses. Tamdhu was built in 1897 by a consortium of blenders led by William Grant. 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.

At its natural 64.6% it is concentrated. Honeyed vanilla and apple come through from the oak. Beneath it run fig, raisin and a warm spice. It finishes rich, fruity and warming. This is a deep, fruity Speyside single malt.