Tamdhu 21 Year Old: Pure Deliciousness!
Tamdhu’s latest release, a limited 21 Year Old single malt, extends the Speyside distillery’s commitment to sherry-cask maturation with a decisive turn toward European oak. Bottled at 47.5% ABV, unchill-filtered and with no added colour, this coming-of-age expression stands as a flagship for the brand’s evolving style: bold, structured and unmistakably Tamdhu.
The whisky was unveiled at an intimate press tasting hosted by Global Brand Ambassador Gordon Dundas and Brand Director Iain Weir over a leisurely lunch at the Renaissance Hotel in London’s St Pancras. As part of a tight gathering of journalists and industry insiders, we shared Spanish wines, stories and anecdotes while the whiskies slowly revealed themselves. It was one of those great lunches where the food was delicious and no one was in a hurry to go. It was past 17:30 by the time I left…
Tastings are always better with a long-standing member of the team, and even more so when they bring personality to the table. Gordon is one of those people, as I was fortunate to be seated very close to him, allowing me to hear his personal thoughts, and ask a number of questions.
Founded in 1897 and now part of Ian Macleod Distillers, Tamdhu is one of the few Scottish distilleries to use only sherry casks for maturation. The 21 Year Old continues that tradition, relying on first-fill and refill Oloroso casks made from oak grown in Spain and North America. All casks are seasoned and assembled in the cooperages and bodegas of Jerez to Tamdhu’s own specifications, a process the team calls its “Spain-to-Speyside journey”.
“Tamdhu Distillery is located on the banks of the Spey and produces its spirit using its own local spring water,” Gordon said. “This limited twenty-one-year-old release, like all Tamdhu single malts, is fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks to deliver a flavour profile and entirely natural colour that makes this spirit elegant and distinctive.”
Sandy McIntyre, the distillery manager, underlined the point in an email. “Our patience and dedication shines through in every sip of Tamdhu twenty-one. This release is a fine example of our commitment to the Spain-to-Speyside journey that every Tamdhu expression benefits from. Oloroso sherry casks from Spain deliver excellence for our whisky and help make this brand, produced in one of the most unspoilt parts of Scotland, uniquely refined in flavour.”
As Gordon elaborated during the tasting, “We don’t own our own bodega, but we work closely with three cooperages in Jerez, including Vasyma, Tevasa and Huberto Domecq. They source the wood, build the casks, and season them with Oloroso sherry specifically to our requirements. It’s a relationship that has taken years to develop, and you taste the benefit in every dram.”
You rarely go straight into the main event, but warm your palate up first. For this lunch we enjoyed a Highball, and the 12 Year Old, before Gordon poured the Tamdhu 15 Year Old. This is one of my personal favourites, and illustrates how well the distillery balances American and European oak. He described European oak as “slightly clingy, it can hug the throat,” while American oak “smooths everything off”. The fifteen shows that interplay to near perfection: bright dried fruit, roasted nuts and a finish that never outstays its welcome.
“Balance is one of those overused words in whisky,” said Gordon, “but the 15 really has it. It’s not just about one kind of oak or flavour, it’s about how they work together. It has that richness from European oak but never becomes overwhelming. It’s a great go-to dram.”
The new twenty-one pushes further down the European path yet remains measured. Concentrated flavours of dark cherries, cocoa powder and polished wood come first, but a thread of orchard fruit and warm spice keeps the palate lively.
“It’s not just an 18 with three more years,” Gordon explained. “That was never the point. We wanted to explore a different side of Tamdhu, something that really showcased European oak in a mature yet elegant way. It’s bolder, yes, but also more structured.”
True to house style, the whisky is presented with minimal intervention. The 21 Year Old retains its natural colour and arrives in an eye-catching gift case, its cut-work pattern nodding to the Moorish architecture of southern Spain. Slide the sleeve away and an octagonal bottle appears, accompanied by a small drawer holding a tasting-notes booklet. A gold-topped wooden stopper completes the package.
“There’s a reason we obsess over these details,” said Iain Weir. “From the seasoning of the casks to the weight of the bottle, we want everything to reflect the whisky’s quality and heritage. It’s not about flash, it’s about respect.”
The release is offered on allocation worldwide at £299. For Tamdhu, still a quiet voice compared with some louder Speyside neighbours, the whisky marks a confident stride deeper into the character that has defined the distillery since its revival in 2011.
It is truly delicious and a bottle that should be opened and enjoyed with friends. This is especially true given that a well-known distillery close by offers theirs at £1250… This is every bit as good, if not better!
For lovers of sherried single malt it will be hard to resist. For Tamdhu, it is another clear statement that excellence needs neither gimmicks nor shortcuts, only good spirit, good wood and time.
Or, as Gordon put it with typical humour and heart: “We could dress it up in marketing gloss, but we’d rather let the whisky speak for itself. Good wood, good sherry, good casks—just done properly. That’s Tamdhu.”