Tamdhu 15 Years Old 2007 Cask #HL 19609 (Old Malt Cask)

Hunter Laing bottled this Tamdhu single malt matured to 15 year old from 2007, drawn from cask HL 19609 and bottled at 50%. A release of 774 bottles. Established in 1897 by the Spey at Knockando, Tamdhu is a sherry led Speyside malt. Tamdhu ran the last Saladin box maltings in Scotland, the boxes still standing on site.

It was drawn off copper pot stills fed by the Tamdhu Spring, for the full, fruity make that suits sherry maturation. Maturation in Oloroso sherry laid fig and raisin over the spirit. Past a decade the fruit deepens into fig, raisin, nuts and a warm ginger spice. The cool Speyside climate gives a slow, even maturation over many years. 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 its natural 50% it is concentrated. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, nuts and a soft spice. It is deep and fruity, the sherry and oak well matched. The finish is deep, waxy and spiced. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.