It doesn’t seem all that long ago when Macallan 10yo Sherry Cask was the benchmark in Speyside whisky and one that was incredibly popular and a global powerhouse. It was a shame when they discontinued this great whisky for commercial reasons however the demand for quality aged sherry cask whisky hasn’t slipped and thankfully there are still plenty of options such as Glendronach, Dalmore and my Malt of the Month, Tamdhu 10yo. This distillery was taken over by Ian Macleod Distillers in 2011 after being mothballed in 2009 and the biggest change made by the new owners was to re-position Tamdhu as a sherried malt, with all maturation done in ex-sherry casks. With the endless supply of relatively inexpensive ex-bourbon casks flowing out of the U.S., most distilleries have turned away a bit from using ex-sherry casks, so it’s good to see a single malt brand deliberately returning to that style. The Tamdhu 10yo is their flagship/entry-level expression, with both first and second-fill sherry casks used for aging. Tamdhu and their new owners have completely nailed it with this product, they’ve given it real identity with exclusive use of sherry oak and they also deserve real credit for not trotting out a younger, non-age stated malt. Pungent sherry on the nose with orange peel, dried fruits and sticky toffee pudding. Incredible depth and sweet but not cloying. The palate then delivers orange marmalade, more dried fruits such as apricot and prune. Beautiful balance. Tamdhu 10yo – £38
http://oldlockett.making.me.uk/shop/tamdhu-10yo/
