Edition Spirits Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tamnavulin 1991 (27 year old) 47.6%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0535/ HL16117

Dist: Dec 1991 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

The nose is surprisingly high toned and spirity with wet cardboard notes. Hints of barley, rose petal and oak but it’s rather rough to say the least. With time it fills out a bit as the malt comes through.

The palate is rough, earthy and malty with cardboard, bitter spice and lime. Short, hot and bitter. Safe to say, this bottling is very disappointing.

Hannah Whisky Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Dalgety Limited Release Small Batch Tamnavulin 2009 (13 year old) 51.9%

Bourbon Barrel & Virgin oak finished barrel

Dist: 2009 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Aug 2022

The nose opens with grippy oak and a nippy alcohol prickle. Green apple, ginger, toasted oak, marzipan, clove oil, butter and some almost French oak spices. No distillery character though.

The palate is rich, spicy and oaky. Again, ginger, apricot, melon, green apple, subtle marzipan and grippy but soft tannins. Good length with lingering ginger and toasty oak. In conclusion: The nose is slightly more complex than the palate but it’s all a bit over oaked.

Tamnavulin Distillery Tasting Notes

Tamnavulin Double Cask 40%

American oak/ Sherry finish

Batch 0308/ Tasted: Aug 2020

The nose is a initially a little raw and spirity with plenty of homogenous sherry and what feels like flattening, added caramel. Underneath there is some banana, apricot, toffee and creamy oak, but overall it is somewhat flat.

The palate opens with toffee and caramel. Simple and homogenously sherried with an oily but raw and spirity middle. Like the nose I feel some E150 is at work here as it is somewhat lifeless and bitter. Short, dry, bitter finish with a touch of liquorice. Frankly my dear, it’s all rather dull.

Carn Mor Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tamnavulin 2009 (9 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 2009 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Aug 2018

Very summery aromas of sweet pear, peach, apricot and barley with citric and mineral nuances. Fills out well as the vanilla oak appears and develops a slight gristy edge and a late perfumed/ floral note.

Full and barley’d on the palate with apricot, pear, peach, ginger, lime and slightly grippy tannins. Lovely soft vanilla and cereally middle. Long, peppery and citric finish. Superb intensity.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Tamnavulin 1991 (24 year old) 50.6%

Bourbon Hogshead 1139/ Dist: 1991 Btl: Oct 2015/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Mature, straw-like white fruit aromas along with a slightly Cognac-esque character. Quite barley’d and amazingly fragrant with subtle honey, crisp white fruit, grass and earth. With time the oak appears with a touch of toffee.

The palate is fuller and shows more honey and vanilla oak. Again there is a Cognac-esque note. Gentle, oily barley and a lovely, intensity of cinnamon and pepper on the middle. Quite a dry finish, but the dried fruit lingers wonderfully.

Hunter Laing Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1993 (21 year old) 50%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2451/ HL11150

Dist: Dec 1993 Btl: Dec 2014/ Tasted: Feb 2015

Luscious and honeyed aromas burst from the glass with sawdusty oak and fresh, minty herbal notes. Soft, generous and appealing with a touch of peach and warm spice.

The palate is quite fugdy and oily, thus not as fresh as the nose. Quite nutty with almond and hints of barley. A little short as the alcohol comes through and mingles with the citrus to give it quite a dry and lightly bitter finish.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1991 (27 year old) 46.8%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2939/ HL16113

Dist: Dec 1991 Btl: Oct 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

An old, creaking, malty and cardboardy nose. Hints of rose petal marc spirit, honey and late perfumed white fruit.

The palate is old, dusty, cardboardy and malty with hints of honey, earth and white fruit. Short, spicy but hot finish. This should’ve been bottled years ago.

Gordon & MacPhails Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhails ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Tamnavulin 1990 (20 year old) 43%

Refill Sherry/ Dist: 1990 Btl: 2010/ Tasted: June 2011

A muted, oily, cereal nose. Strangely it seems quite youthful or the light peppery marc note seems to give that impression. Pleasant if unfettered by complexity with a burnt caramel and a slight grape influence.

The palate is soft, reasonably oily, and straightforward with hints of grass and honey. It does become pleasantly brown sugar coated and has a good spice intensity. Lovely softness and length with a very brief sherry flourish at the death.

Duncan Taylor Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Tamnavulin 1967 (38 year old) 46.7%

Sherry Butt 1018/ Dist: Apr 1967 Btl: Jan 2005/ Tasted: Nov 2005

The nose is huge. Big overwhelming Oloroso sherry aromas, followed by waves of creamy white chocolate, orange, earth and wood notes (surprisingly!)

The palate is dry and full bodied, opening with Olorosos sherry, roasted nuts, dried fruit and more nuts for good measure. Really intense yet with a delightful softness. Extremely long with hints of coal tar and peat. Descending into a rich, orangey, dried fruit pudding mix and finishing with a lingering smokiness.

Douglas Laing Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1989 (21 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2072/ DL7502

Dist: Oct 1989 Btl: Jul 2011/ Tasted: Aug 2011

The nose is just plain old with no shortage of old wood notes. Rather industrial and spirity. To be honest its lacking in fruit and the aromas are rather hard and waxy. A bit Dufftown-esque! 

The palate is very much the same. Amongst the old wood notes there is some late leafy old tobacco and dried stalky notes, but frankly a bit charmless and hard going.

Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1986 (25 year old) 50%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2180/ DL8432

Dist: Dec 1986 Btl: Apr 2012/ Tasted: June 2012

An edgy and amazingly gristy nose, given its age. There is a beautiful depth of sub-tropical fruit, citrus, waxed linen and barley. Elegant and mature with a late touch of pepper and some mature oak coming through. 

The palate is quite light but elegant. Again resplendent in its sub-tropical fruitiness. It becomes quite fleshy with a mineral laced citrus and barley. Slightly earthy with a touch of coal dust and developing dried fruit notes. A gorgeously spicy middle with some light bonfire ash on the finish. All the while those lovely spices linger. Very long and taught. I have to say that the level of spice was rather unexpected as the nose didn’t let on at all!

Douglas Laing Directors Cut Tamnavulin 1989 (25 year old) 48.8%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: DIR0088/ DL10352

Dist: May 1989 Btl: Jun 14/ Tasted: Aug 2014

Sweet and malty aromas. Very nutty – walnuts and peacan with hints of butter toffee, dusty oak, herbal honey, heather and a slight balsamic intimation. With time it becomes quite aromatic with a touch of sugar coated orange and oxidised white grape emerging. 

The palate is softly spiced with sweet toffee and malty fruit. A touch of baked apple and crunchy barley comes through. Lovely depth and maturity with oodles of soft spice now and a touch of lightly oxidised fruit. Long and a little tart as the citrus kicks in but those spices really linger and a little vanilla comes through at the end.

Dewar Rattray Tamnavulin Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray ‘Cask Collection’ Tamnavulin 2009 (8 year old) 59.4%

Bourbon Cask 700629/ Dist: Feb 2009 Btl: Nov 2017/ Tasted: Aug 2019

An aromatic nose of summer meadows, jasmine, barley, lime and grass. With time hints of toffee. There’s quite an alcohol prickle but overall the nose seems pleasantly balanced.

The palate is full and barley’d with hints of grass, lime, summer flowers and toffee. The alcohol is well integrated and there is a touch of chocolate and spice on the middle. Good length with lingering apricot, grass and citrus.

Water makes the nose a little weightier with more barley but also more citrus. A slight mashtun/ biscuity note has appeared along with hints of nettles and tomato leaf. The palate is softer and slightly simpler with a milkier oak character along with that nettle/ tomato leaf note. Lightly oiled but balance by the citrus. Long, herbal, botanical and lightly honeyed finish with lingering grass.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Tamnavulin 1989 (21 year old) 57.4%

Bourbon Cask 1750/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Feb 2011

The nose opens with a slightly dirty, earthy, malty-coffee aromas followed by some lanolin. I don’t think this has been matured in the best of casks as thereare a few off-wood notes. What fruit there was has become a bit raisinated and is crushed by the old buttery oak – and that is the overriding theme.

The palate is old, oily and full of lanolin and yet more old wood notes. The alcohol is tart and botanical and the finish is bitter and a bit dirty. It seems like both oak and spirt are extremely tired.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Tamnavulin 1988 (28 year old) 49.9%

Bourbon Hogshead 10027/ Dist: Jun 1988 Btl: July 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

An oily and dusty nose with a slight feinty edge. In fact it smells rather old and long in the tooth to be honest with some hard barley, vanilla, coffee and damp, rye-like herbal notes.

The palate opens with decaying rose petal marc, cardboard and malt. A touch of sweet vanilla and earthy spice attempts to inject some life but it reinforces the feeling that this cask is past it. Short and hot with a cardboardy and sweet jelly finish.