Tamdhu 8 Years Old 2015 Cask #55 (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

This Tamdhu was from the independent bottler The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd, an 8 year old from 2015, drawn from cask 55 and bottled at 57.5%. 402 bottles in all. Tamdhu was founded in 1897 at Knockando on the River Spey; it is famed for its sherry cask maturation. 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. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla under the orchard fruit. Still young, the malt is fruity and sherried with a soft spice. Refill oak lets the fruity distillery character lead beneath the sherry. The River Spey runs past the distillery on its way to the Moray coast. Ian Macleod runs Tamdhu alongside Glengoyne and Rosebank. Water is drawn from the Tamdhu Spring on the Speyside site. The distillery was built on a spot once known for illicit distilling.

At a natural 57.5% it is full and rich. The cask brings fig, raisin and a gentle ginger. A dried fruit and a nutty oak give it real depth. A long, sherried finish carries a nutty depth. This is Tamdhu's classic sherried Speyside style.