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Tamdhu 18 Year Old

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OVERALL
RATING

9

Whisky Review: Tamdhu 18 Year Old

We review Tamdhu 18 Year Old, aged entirely in in American and European Oloroso casks before being bottled at 46.8% ABV.
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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Tasting Notes:

About:
Aged 18 years entirely in American and European Oloroso casks, this whisky is bottled at 46.8% ABV and is un-chill filtered.
Appearance:
Compared to the 15 Year Old reviewed the other day, the three extra years show in the color, reflecting a darker amber-golden in the glass. Legs and viscosity are great.
Nose:
Again, compared to the 15, the nuttiness on the nose is even more pronounced. There’s deeper chocolate, almond toffee, a little bit of butterscotch, a nudge of oak, and some earthy mushrooms.
Palate:
This is deep in the nutty richness on the palate in a way that’s vibrantly popping in the mouth. It’s also decadent with dark chocolate, toasted almonds, subtle brown sugar, developed vanilla, and some unique dryness.
Finish:
The finish holds here, giving a long and distinguished dryness and nuttiness that lingers in a happy way.
Comments:
While the 15 Year Old was definitely of note, the 18 Year Old, with just a three-year difference, sings to the heavens. This is a sherry bomb whisky at the height of its greatness, there is no doubt.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Tamdhu 18 Year Old review
We review Tamdhu 18 Year Old, aged entirely in in American and European Oloroso casks before being bottled at 46.8% ABV. (image via Tamdhu)

Editor’s Note: The party behind this whisky gave us a review sample. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review. 

Scotland’s Tamdhu distillery in the whisky nation’s Speyside region has a long and storied history that focuses on the sherry cask maturation of its Scotch single malts. Established in 1897, within a year, the distillers of that era had already determined that securing their first shipment of sherry casks from the bodegas in Spain was the way to go.

The distillery eventually shuttered in 1927, staying dormant for the better part of two decades until 1949, when it was decided to modernize the facility somewhat to help support growing production demand. Things continued along at a good clip through the 1970s and beyond until 2010, when external considerations forced Tamdhu to close its doors, perhaps for good.

Two years later, its closed doors ended as parent company Ian Macleod Distillers kicked things off once more, focusing on maintaining a 100% sherry cask maturation.

The whisky being reviewed today, Tamdhu 18 Year Old, was introduced as a new core range offering in 2022. Sherry cask maturation entirely occurred in American and European Oloroso casks. Bottled un-chill filtered at 46.8% ABV, it is priced at $145 a bottle.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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