Sip advisor: Tamdhu 43-Year-Old Single Malt
Awash with flavour: microscopic imagery creates a kaleidoscopic effect on the new Tamdhu
Tamdhu’s first exclusive release from its Dedication Collection is a show-stopping raising of the stakes for the Speyside whisky makers. Barley succumbs to the exquisite sherry-drenched charms of the “43”…
“At Tamdhu, our whisky is the ultimate artistic expression. We didn’t want to get side-tracked by gimmicks. Or look away from our whisky. Because it’s there, in the spirit itself, you see our craft, passion and dedication.” So says Tamdhu’s long-serving distillery manager and master of malt ceremonies, Sandy McIntyre. He’s talking about one of the rarest and most exclusive whiskies the Speyside producer has ever launched — a 43-Year-Old Single Malt matured in not one but three exceptional Oloroso sherry oak casks, all of them laid down in Tamdhu’s dunnage warehouse No 1 between 1978 and 1979. For fans of the 18-year-old, waiting for news of something beyond that mighty expression, this new release is like discovering the holy grail of spirits.
Sherry of course is what Tamdhu is known for, and sherry is what this whisky delivers in thrilling abundance. It’s a triple-bill Oloroso-cask odyssey in kaleidoscopic widescreen technicolour. An epic tasting journey that takes you from the bleached-white plains and dusty bodegas of southern Spain to the verdant sweeping valleys of Speyside. The destination is not the point. This is a sensory journey, not a geographic one. Get a glass of this in your hand and you’ll want to spend as long as you can in its distinguished company, stopping off en route to let your palate and nose enjoy the ride of a lifetime. The film analogy is not an accident by the way. This is an artistic endeavour as well as a liquid one. We’ll come back to that shortly. For now, the taste test.
‘Sherry of course is what Tamdhu is known for, and sherry is what this whisky delivers in thrilling abundance. It’s a triple-bill Oloroso-cask odyssey in kaleidoscopic widescreen technicolour’
First off, the nose. It’s incredible. Thick, but not overpowering, there’s molasses, treacle toffee, dried coriander, berries and dried spice. The colour of the liquid is extraordinary — dark, rich and velvety, like the heavy drapes outside a Weimar dance hall. On the palate, I picked up deep sherry, a meaty-mushroomy umami savoury quality that brought an unexpected smile, as well as tobacco, chocolate coffee, blackcurrant and the whiff of an old damp cellar. Everything about the whisky is magnified: flavour, character and intensity. Those barrels may have shared more with the angels than most over the past four decades, but they were canny enough to keep the really special stuff back for us to enjoy.
Mark of excellence: Distillery manager Sandy McIntrye's signature appears on every one of the 100 bottles
The finish lingers long and slow to allow a satisfying wallow in that gloriously aged sherry stew, and there’s hints of lemon and dried berries in there to round things off with a perky punctuation point. This is a Tamdhu never seen or tasted before. It’s supremely good and left me quite giddy with joy.
As McIntryre suggests, there’s nothing gimmicky about the bottling or packaging that accompanies this release. It’s all beautifully conceived and executed. Devon-based glassware firm Dartington have produced a bespoke hand-blown crystal Victorian style decanter. It comes encased in a hand-crafted octagonal wooden and brushed metal casement, with fine Moorish-influence lattice on the latter, a nice nod to Tamdhu’s longstanding connection to Jerez. The box is burnished brown, sturdy and pleasing to the eye. The whole thing feels classy and considered. Bling with a highland swing.
‘The finish lingers long and slow to allow a satisfying wallow in that gloriously aged sherry stew, and there’s hints of lemon and dried berries in there to round things off with a perky punctuation point’
And that filmic quality I mentioned earlier? That comes from the collaboration between Tamdhu and a leading photomicrographer (yes, I had to look it up, too) Peter Woitschikowski to create striking photographs of the spirit up close. We’re told it was designed to “showcase the purity, artistry and simple beauty of the whisky itself….bridging the gap between science and art.” What this means is that Woitschikowski used a microscope fixed to a high-resolution camera to uncover the unexpected shapes and textures hidden to the naked eye. He photographed the Tamdhu at 43 (aha!) times magnification — a microscope spin for every year the whisky has matured in the sherry oak casks.
Speyside's hidden gem: Tamdhu lies in the heart of whisky country
It’s an interesting concept and the colours and shapes are beautiful and striking to look at. It’s especially trippy when viewed on film, where an aurora borealis of light pulses and swirls around the curves of the bottle. Does it add much to the release? I’m not sure. You can judge for yourself by looking at the image at the top of this page.
Unadorned, this is a truly special whisky, and for me quite perfect as it is. The truth is in the bottle. It doesn’t need words or pictures to tell its tale.
Which is probably my cue to depart, glass of 43 gripped firmly in my paw.
The Dedication Collection will include eight global releases in total, four domestic and four exclusive to Global Trade Retail, to be released over the next 4-5 years. Tamdhu 43-Year-Old is limited to 100 individually numbered bespoke decanters and available to purchase globally via domestic specialist retailers for £13,500.
From Jerez to Speyside: the box comes with Moorish inspired latticing
