So the final Tamdhu of the trio is the limited edition 18 year old. I don’t think its introduction reached me when it first came out and actually when I picked up this set I assumed it was the latest iteration of the batch strength release. How wrong was it?

My research suggests it was introduced in 2023 and is a full term Oloroso Sherry cask matured single malt. Bottled at 46.8% ABV with natural colour and no aggressive filtering as per the standard bottling remit at Tamdhu. At a price of £150 give or take a £20 note its somehow less offensively priced as the 15 year old. Marketing and its mind bending ways I suppose but I would pay 130 for an 18 over 100 for a 15.

Lets dive in and go for a whirl around the block on the 18 year old.

Nose – As the whisky approaches two decades it takes time to get the most out of it. Straight out the gates it’s not fruity or sweet but more bitter chocolate and tobacco leaf, adding water helps us here pulling out allspice and nutmeg. At the end of the dram a lactic note appears.

Palate – definitely one which needs water, not too much but without its just too sharp cutting off any flavours. Cinnamon and bitter wood juice continue this odd combination of not so much a sherry bomb as a bitter pill to swallow. The nicest note I can pick out if I really concentrate is the lush smell of aged leather in a cosy sitting room on a winters night.

Finish – There was a couple of weeks between writing up my notes on the 15 and 18 but the lovely balance in the 15 year old which equally considers flavour, texture and length of finish is forgotten when composing this recipe. Texture is thinner but the flavours are all baking spices and oak tannins not orange chocolate and orange liqueur.

Final Thoughts

I headed into this dram expecting to really like it, intending to write a glowing review and urging you to seek it out. Actually I think it’s not worth the effort, the 15 is cheaper, sweeter and just generally nicer. In a nutshell I think this has gone too far and its over oaked.