Tamnavulin 15 Year (Berry Brothers and Rudd)

 

I haven't had a lot of Tamnavulin in all my years of drinking single malt. In fact, a look through my index indicates I haven't had *any* and this is the first (!). I don't think that's true, but I think the other Tamnavulin drams I've sampled were little pours had at Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") events, and didn't merit a full write-up. 

So it's accurate to say this is the first bottle I've bought in full from Tamnavulin - owned by Whyte and Mackay, who themselves are owned by a Philippines-based beverages conglomerate, Alliance Global Group, who also owns Emperador brandy, which is apparently the world's highest selling brandy (!). 

Whyte and Mackay's remaining portfolio is a little dubious: the much-maligned Fettercairn, the universally-maligned Jura, and Dalmore - which almost all Scotch fanatics agree is wonderful stuff when presented by an independent bottler, and wasted entirely in the hands of the official distillery blender, where it comes across as pleasant but toothless. 

This bottle of Tamnavulin hails from Berry Bros and Rudd - whose stocks here in DC I have mostly exhausted, and I'm waiting for their next series to arrive. Here are their official notes: 

Situated in the small village of Tomnavoulin, Tamnavulin translates as "mill on the hill" The nose opens with aromas of nectar, pipe tobacco, worked leather and fudge, before revealing fruity notes in the form of citrus, apricot and glazed lemon. There is a wonderful depth to this dram, with the sugars counterbalancing the citrus. On the palate, the sweetness balances things out as notes of dark oak and citrus collide. The latter wins overall emerging throughout the honeyed layers of this dram. This is lingering and charming, long and graceful.

Pretty good notes. Bottled after 15 years in ex-bourbon at 52.8% ABV. Here we go: 

Nose: What a sweet, sunny, friendly nose on this dram - apricot, honey, custard/creme brulee, melon, orange blossom, lemon pie ... very sweet, very fruity. I don't get the official notes of fudge or leather anywhere. 

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly heavy body, and a little oily. 

Palate: Follows the nose - citrus, honey, vanilla, melon, stone fruit ... and the addition of some tropical fruit, like pineapple and mango. The honey and custard notes, along with a very faint barley sugar/malt note, keep the fruit notes pinned down firmly to a "pastry" type palate, rather than, say, a Clynelish-like "fruit candy" range of flavors. 

With water and time, there is a buttery element here as well, which further reinforces the pastry impression. Lemon bars, apricot cookies, orange marmalade on toast, and so on. 

Finish: Light and ephemeral, it passed pretty quickly and is the weakest part of the dram - a fizzy stone fruit (peach, apricot) syrup in vanilla soda, was my chief impression. 

Verdict: Lovely - this is a wonderful summer whisky - it has real texture and body, but the flavors are all very soft and fruit-forward and remind me of fresh-baked pastries. 

I don't have enough experience with Tamnavulin to know how much influence the cask is exerting and how much is the core spirit here, but I like this a lot. It's fascinating - 15 years is a good middle-length age statement and usually results in some roundness, some noticeable "age" to the dram, with complexity and maturity ... but this remains so bright and flavorful and sprightly and simple. 

And in this case, simple works. It works very, very well. Recommended.