Tamdhu 21 Years Old

This Tamdhu, an official release, a 21 year old Speyside malt and bottled at 55.3%. 250 bottles in all. Tamdhu, founded in 1897 by a group of blenders at Knockando on the River Spey, is famed for its sherry cask whisky. The old Knockando railway station serves as the distillery's visitor centre.

It was worked through onion stills for a rich Speyside spirit, then filled into sherry seasoned casks, the heart of the Tamdhu style. Maturation in Oloroso sherry laid fig and raisin over the spirit. Beyond twenty years the malt grows deep and rich, fig, raisin and walnut over a waxy oak. Dunnage and racked warehousing on site gives a slow maturation by the Spey. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.3%, it is intense. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, nuts and a soft spice. A baked apple and a warm ginger lift it. A dried fruit and ginger finish lingers long. This is the sherry cask malt of Knockando.