Tullibardine 8 Year (SMWS 28.51 "Classical and Fulsome")

 

I have never had Tullibardine before this single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Tullibardine is not an old distillery, founded in 1949, located in Blackford in Perthshire. 

Tullibardine was mothballed in 1995, and sold-to-be-reopened in 2003; the current owner is the French firm Picard Vins et Spiriteux, and they release several official bottlings. Here are the tasting notes from SMWS for this bottle:

A very classical and fulsome aroma greeted the Panel. Honey, vanilla caramel wafers, sugary brandy and liquorice to begin. Then some jumpers full of mothballs, mown grass, pear juice and nectar. Vibrant and vigorous. Reduction brought hints of dried spices from the cupboard, Madagascan vanilla, brown sugar, lemon curd and school pencil case shavings. The palate opened with a lovely syrupy sweetness. Then bags of banana chips, foam banana sweets, doughnuts, cinnamon buns, pear drops, cloves and gooseberry jam. Water made things more zesty, citric and effervescent. Some rye spice, glace cherry syrup and fruit salad gunge.

Intriguing - on paper, it does read as somewhat classical: honey and vanilla, pear, light spices... seems nice and light. Eight years is a borderline age for many bottles of Scotch - it can be just-old-enough or not-quite-there-yet ... and, of course, sometimes it's just-right. Many thanks to Rob Martin for the last two pours from the bottle!

Aged for those eight years in a first-fill bourbon barrel, and bottled at 61.5% ABV, let's see how fulsome this actually is: 

Nose: This is tremendously malty - the aroma literally climbed out of the glass and filled my room when I poured this last dram from the bottle! Malty often presents as "grassy" to me, and so I particularly like this combination of scents: cut grass, honey, malted milk balls (with accompanying chocolate), brandy sauce (like for a steak), soft sugars, and harvested hay. Some soft fruits, like unripe banana along with sweet lemon bars. 

With water, it grows a little more fruited: apple and some unripe pear, some indistinct berries. An oaky note emerges as well, specifically tied with the brandy note. 

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly thick and viscous!

Palate: Malted barley and quality brandy open the development here, a nice pairing. Light pear. Banana and hay again. Some real spice: cinnamon, allspice, cloves. All in all, it follows the nose pretty closely.

With water, brown sugar and chocolate join the malted barley. The addition of the rich chocolate (almost like fudge) is quite nice. The overall impression is one of brandy and chocolate with a halo of cut grass overtop.

Finish: The spices on the tongue last and last - a surprisingly long finish for such a sweet, light whisky. Quite potent. Some lemon and black pepper arrive at the very tail end as well. 

Verdict: After two full drams of this, I wouldn't actually call it "classical" - it's a little too dark, a little too malty, the brandy impression too strong, the pear impression too light. It's yummy - but not a classical dram. Still, this is a positive impression of Tullibardine for me. I will continue to seek them out!