Abbey Whisky celebrates its 15th anniversary. The third release for the occasion is a 15 year old Tamdhu 2008. It is supplied by Berry Bros & Rudd and it is quite an uncommon Tamdhu because it was given an extra year in a Moscatel cask.
With Moscatel you never know which wine you’re getting exactly. After all there’s the fragrant, light-footed Moscatel de Valencia, or amber / red Moscatel from Setúbal in Portugal, and dark and highly oxidative Moscatel from Jerez. Whisky bottlers rarely mention the exact style, or don’t seem to care. However, with Tamdhu stressing its focus on sherry casks so much, we can assume it’s a Moscatel sherry.
Tamdhu 15 yo 2008 (61,9%, Berry Bros & Rudd for Abbey Whisky 2023, Moscatel hogshead finish #778, 126 btl.)
Nose: a very spicy opening. Nutmeg and ginger. Gingerbread appears, with marmalade, leafy notes and walnuts. Then herbal honey with whiffs of heather. Also a few floral, almost solventy woody tones. After a while nice orange peels, pineapple and menthol come forward, but I think the alcohol closes it down a little.
Mouth: there’s more Moscatel influence now. Plenty of oranges, orange cake, orange flowers and honey. Then the spices take over: lot of cloves, white pepper and ginger, including a winey dryness of the oak. Gingerbread and malty notes and walnuts, evolving towards a leafy and earthy style of sherry, with flashes of fruit throughout.
Finish: rather long, with some of the orange and apricot sweetness staying strong, alongside the wood spice.
While some of the Moscatel aromatics come out really nicely, the oaky footprint is simply too firm in my opinion. Water helps to make it more flavoursome and tone down some of the rough edges. Exclusively available from Abbey Whisky.