Wonder from the Dark Hills: Tamdhu Distillery

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, and far away in Speyside, Scotland in the same year, the Tamdhu distillery was founded. The people who founded Tamdhu were a group of assemblers headed by William Grant, a board member of the Elgin bank, who wanted to distil their own whisky. Tamdhu, like Knockando, is another railway distillery which has quietly provided blend fillings ever since its inception in the late nineteenth century. The architect was Charles Doig, a famous designer of distilleries. This made Tamdhu “the most efficient and designed distillery of its era” as per Alfred Barnard in 1898. In Gaelic, “Tamdhu” means the little dark hill.

Tamdhu whisky has always been a most reliable component in the blends of the Highland Distillers and is fondly nicknamed “the Can-dhu-Spirit”. Since 2011, it has been owned by Ian McLeod Distillers. They have successfully re-launched the Single Malt Tamdhu on May 4, 2013, and have revived the Tamdhu brand. The Tamdhu Single Malt is formed by the clear spring water, the onion-shaped pot stills, and the sherry casks used for maturation. The resultant Speyside whisky is smooth and gentle, with aromas of apples, caramel, dark chocolate, almonds, vanilla, citrus, and dried fruits.

Highland, now known as Edrington, purchased it in 1899, but mothballed it for intermittent periods, the longest being for a couple of decades from 1927. It was from Edrington that Ian McLeod bought it in 2011. In fact, Tamdhu was mothballed from 1911 to 1913, from 1928 to 1948, and from 2009 to 2012, though between 1972 and 1975 Tamdhu’s production capacity had tripled, with three wash stills and three spirit stills. A landmark date for Tamdhu was December 1, 2014, when Sandy Coutts retired, after working at Tamdhu for forty years. Sandy McIntyre (yes, another Sandy!) has now taken his place there as Distillery Manager.

Tamdhu Whisky is almost entirely used in blended whiskies like J&B, The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. In 2017, Ian McLeod released the Tamdhu 50. It is a 50 year old bottling from a first-fill European oak sherry butt cask. Distilled in 1963, it was bottled in the March of 2017, and has a turnout of a hundred bottles.

Here is a list of Tamdhu’s products. We have gone into a bit of a detailed profiling for some of them.

Tamdhu 8 Year Old (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, MacPhail's Collection, Bottled around 2010)
Malty and gentle. Sweet, with hints of honey and roasted barley. A classic profile, but a little nondescript with a background of very faintly smoky spices and organics.

Tamdhu 25 Year Old 1984/2010 (50.1%, Whisky Doris, Refill hogshead)
Exotic and spicy with metallic notes. It is quite expressive with organic notes after some ten minutes. A new, flowery side emerges after about fifteen minutes.
After you add water, the spicy side of it returns to the foreground for a while. The taste on the whole is sweet and smooth, growing harsher in the gritty centre and dry finish without any tannins. After 25 or 30 seconds the tannins do kick in, making for a novelty effect.

Tamdhu NAS (40%, OB, Bottled around 2008)
Starts off on fruity notes, followed by grain attic and dust. Fresh dough. A beautiful round profile. It has a fairly weak start, and needs some time. It is a little chalky, but has a solid centre, though is weaker in the finish.

Tamdhu 13 Year Old 1994/2007 Madeira Finish (46%, Dun Bheagan)
Tamdhu-Glenlivet 10 Year Old (58.9%, Cadenhead's, Bottled around 2003, 18.75cl)
Tamdhu 1961/2000 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail's)
Redolent of fruits and dust, this one sure is infinitely refined and complex. It takes just a minute to leave a lasting impression. This smoky and austere whisky gives a surprise to the nostrils that enhances its appeal. Perhaps your best choice from the Tamdhu distillery.

Tamdhu 1988/1997 (60.8%, Gordon & MacPhail, D. 14/12/1988, B. 06/1997)
Tamdhu 12yo 1984/1996 (43%, Ultimate, 70cl, distilled 27/1/84, bottled 3/96, Cask #169, 410 Bottles)

Now that you are all clued in as to how wide and varied the range from Tamdhu can be, why not sample one of our recommended bottles for yourself? Alternatively, you might think of taking a little trip down to Speyside yourself, and visit the wonder that is the Tamdhu distillery.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamdhu_distillery

https://www.whisky.com/whisky-database/distilleries/details/tamdhu.html

https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/1897/tamdhu/#/

https://www.maltmadness.com/whisky/tamdhu.html

Strathisla – The Home of the Chivas Regal

Said to be the oldest operating distillery in the Highlands, the Strathilsa Distillery was founded in 1786 by George Taylor and Alexander Milne under the name Milltown distillery and is the home of Scotch Whisky. The name was first changed to Strathisla in 1870, then to Milton in 1890 and finally to Strathisla Distillery again in 1951. In 1965, the number of stills at Strathisla was doubled from two to four. These new stills were steam heated from the beginning, but the two old stills weren't until 1992. The spirit isn't filled into casks at the Strathisla distillery directly. Instead, it is first transported to the nearby Glen Keith distillery via pipes to be casked there. Most of the casks are stored elsewhere, but a handful of them are transported back to the Strathisla distillery to mature on site. For this purpose, the distillery still includes two warehouses; one traditional 'dunnage' warehouse and a modern 'racked' variety. The rest of the casks are stored in one of the three bonded warehouses of Chivas Brothers and one of them is located in Keith.Often described as the most picturesque distillery in Scotland, Strathisla proves that beauty really isn't skin deep. Beneath the iconic twin pagodas, the copper stills have a distinctive shape that determines the unique character of every drop of Strathisla Scotch whisky – its signature richness that is fruity and full-bodied.The distillery itself was completed in 1786 (under the name of Milton or Milltown), making it one of the oldest distilleries from the 18th century which still in exists. This beautifully aged distillery has witnessed its fair share of history when Strathisla was blazed in flames in 1876. An explosion in the malt mill during 1879 also was a huge blow to the establishment.The Strathisla Distillery was quickly rebuilt, and this time with its own bottling plant. In 1880, William Longmore retired and his son-in-law John Geddes-Brown took control of the distillery. This resulted in the formation of William Longmore & Co. Ten years later in 1890, the name of the distillery was changed to Milton (referring to the nearby Milton Castle).Strathisla Distillery embraces the Scottish culture in all its produces and makes one feel closer to the true spirit of their rich and smooth Scotch whisky blends.

From Tel Aviv, With Love

Imagine sipping on a fine single malt. As the fiery liquid makes its way down your throat, the drink is sure to evoke an image of the windy Scottish Highlands, or perhaps the emerald green vales of Ireland. But is this true? Think again.

Welcome National Frozen Food Day

The fine pairing of good food and good whisky has existed for as long as anyone can remember. Culinary artists and food connoisseurs have praised the marriage of the two on the dinner table with an intricacy that could only have been instigated by a true match of taste and sentiments. Certain cultures across the world support the pairing of whisky and food so much, that it is almost unimaginable to have a hearty steak dinner without a measure or two of good old whisky. Frozen foods, as debated as they may be, are not exempt from this extraordinary pairing.