Review #762 - Tamdhu 15 Year
Like many distilleries, Tamdhu has a long history of working years, mothballed years, and changes in ownership. Unlike many others, though, this distillery was mothballed as recently as 2010 through 2012; in 2011, Tamdhu was sold by Edrington to new owners Ian Macleod Distillers, and a new core range was launched a couple of years later.
Because of those years of closure, we know that the liquid currently in these 15 year old single malts from Tamdhu was bottled under the supervision of Ian Macleod, but it was actually distilled under the ownership of Edrington. This distillery often draws comparisons to Macallan (an Edrington stablemate in back in those ownership years) due to its classic Speyside distillate character and the heavy use of sherry casks for maturation.
This 15 year version is fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks; the brand specifies that both American oak and European oak casks are used. It does have a nice natural color to it, but it isn't quite as dark as you might expect for 15 years in sherry; we suspect some amount of refill casks are used in conjunction with first fill casks, though it isn't specified. So, how does this Macallan rival taste, especially considering the much more reasonable price?
Tamdhu 15 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 130 (2026)
Age Statement: 15 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: American oak and European oak Oloroso sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 100%, 60%, and 30% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A bit musty, with plenty of sherry fruits: orange marmalade, prune, raisin, and candied orange slices. There's a soft barley funk in the background, and we get some sweetness from malt; there are also subtleties of sulphur and a light nutty scent at times. The complexion is relatively dark and slightly simple.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. Strong sherry notes lead again: cranberry, oranges, raisins, acidic dark prune, all sorts of fruit notes. Seedy figs and strawberries continue the theme; then it's brown sugar, some wood tannins, and a very soft perfumed oak. More malt flavors build over time.
Finish: Caramel, cocoa, and cinnamon are balanced by raisins, maybe just a hint of fig. The malty side takes on a creamy texture, and we get some wood spice. This is nicely rounded and pleasant; the finish has a medium length, and it leans sweet.
Final Note: This is a pleasant sipping whisky from Tamdhu, a step up from their 12 year offering, but we still found it to be a little bit tame. The sherried notes are front and center, taking over the experience at times, but we did find a nice malty backbone at the end of the palate and in the finish as well. It does lean a bit sweet overall, but there's some wood spice at the end of the palate as well, which is a nice dimension. Good stuff, maybe a somewhat typical 15 year sherried core range bottle.
Value is below average, as this is also not a cheap bottle. It's quite a bit cheaper than some competition like Macallan's 15 year old single malt, but this has stiff competition such as GlenDronach 15 Year and GlenAllachie 15 Year, and we think that this Tamdhu is on the more subtle side of that spectrum.
Our Rating: 6.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.26
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Tamdhu reviews:
