Scotland's Tamdhu Releases Non Age Statement Batch Strength Scotch

Tamdhu is one of those Scottish distilleries with a long history that you likely haven’t heard that much about, despite the fact much of its produced spirit is used in popular Scotch blends. Located in Scotland’s famed Speyside whisky region and founded in the last few years of the 1800s, Tamdhu has gone through several ownership transitions in its time, along with several sometimes long periods of being shuttered. It is operated today by Ian MacLeod Distillers and offers just a handful of single malts, including a recently announced Batch Strength non-age statement Scotch.

The new Tamdhu Batch Strength whisky, designed to compliment the distillery’s more standard 10-year-old expression, reportedly remains true to the distillery’s “Victorian optimism of the brand’s founders, upholding their passion to create only the finest single malt.” How well that “optimism” is embraced in a market divided on the topic of non-age statement whisky remains to be seen, but it is something the folks at this distillery are betting on will be embraced nonetheless in this expression.

This new whisky, for its first batch, is described as being bottled non-chill filtered at natural color and with a 58.8% ABV. It was matured for an unmentioned amount of time in “hand-selected” sherry oak casks. It is retailing around £60 ($90 USD), and as for tasting notes, some official ones are included below from Tamdhu.

Nose: Red berries, sultanas, walnuts, hints of pecan, delicate citrus and oak, creamy vanilla, cookie dough.

Palate: Powerful burst of richness, fantastically rounded with sherry oak, spice and dry fruit. Kept on the palate, lighter fruits come to the fore- apricot, orange and crème brûlée.

Finish: Rich, biscuity and malty, toast and marmalade with pleasing fruitiness lingering.