Tamdhu 15 Years Old A Dream of Scotland The Tasteful 8 (Brühler Whiskyhaus)

This is a Tamdhu single malt, chosen and bottled by Brühler Whiskyhaus, a 15 year old and bottled at 52.7%. Only 254 bottles were released. Tamdhu was founded in 1897 at Knockando on the River Spey; it is famed for its sherry cask maturation. For decades its malt fed blends such as the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark.

It was worked through onion stills for a rich Speyside spirit, then filled into sherry seasoned casks, the heart of the Tamdhu style. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit and tannin meeting the rich spirit. By this age the sherried spirit rounds into dried fruit and a nutty depth. Dunnage and racked warehousing on site gives a slow maturation by the Spey. A full, fruity spirit gives Tamdhu the weight to carry active sherry wood. An in house cooperage was set up in 2019 to manage its sherry casks. Tamdhu sits among the great sherried Speysiders, a sister to Macallan in style. The Spey valley's cool air gives a slow, even maturation in the warehouses.

At a full 52.7% it is bold and fruity. The wine cask adds plum and red berry over the malt. A dried fruit and a nutty oak give it real depth. A warming, sherried finish lingers. This is Ian Macleod's sherry led Speysider.