Lady of the Glen Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Tullibardine 2006 (11 year old) 59.3%

First Fill Bourbon Cask #617

Dist: Sept 2006 Btl: May 2018/ Tasted: Nov 2018

The nose is slightly musty with hard barley, toffee, black fruit and winey, dusty tannins. Water makes it a little cleaner with more barley and vanilla showing.

The palate is like the nose faintly musty with earthy black fruit, toffee and plenty of mouth puckering tannins. Water brings out a subtle, almost peated character. Still hard and still a bit dirty. Short and a little hot with lingering vanilla and industrial notes. In conclusion: I don’t think this was filled into a particularly good quality cask.

Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Tullibardine 2006 (14 year old) 55.3%

7 years Bourbon/ 7 years rum cask finish

Cask 36

Dist: 2006 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Jul 2020

The nose is intense and rummy. Quite high toned with rose petal, brown sugar, earthy wood spice and hints of pot pourri and apricot. Well balance with the slightly industrial spirit character coming through.

The palate opens with the rum cask, followed by high toned rose petal, brown sugar, earthy/ duety pot pourri and wood spice. Intense, dried fruit middle and finish with dried pineapple, apricot and some balancing edgy spirit. It’s definitely not lacking in character.

House of Macduff Tullibardine Tasting Notes

House of Macduff ‘Golden Cask – Reserve’ Tullibardine 2010 (11 year old) 55.9%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Ref: CM289

Dist: Nov 2010 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: July 2022

The nose is edgy and biscuity with plenty of malt, hard barley and toffee. Hints of lime and sweet vanilla.

The palate opens with the sweet vanilla oak and honey. Moves into slightly hard barley, malt biscuit and sweet spice/ pepper. Good spicy and malty finish.

Water makes no change to the nose, whilst the palate is less sweet and showing more of the malt biscuits. A touch of toffee and coffee on the middle and then it’s back to the malt flakes and biscuits.

Duncan Taylor Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Battlehill Tullibardine 8 year old 46%

Tasted: Nov 2021

The nose is quite spirity and neutral with hints of hard barley, which is softened a little by a touch of honey and creamy oak. Subtle rose petal marc, lime, sweet corn and rye-like spices.

The palate opens with hard barley and honey. Good balance but it does become a bit cardboardy on the middle. Chunky vanilla and Bourbony oak comes through on the middle along with spice and citrus. A little hot, but not too hot. Good spicy after-taste with lingering clean rose petal marc.

Edition Spirits Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits Tullibardine 1990 (26 year old) 44.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0284/ HL14177

Dist: Sept 1990 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

An earthy and woody nose with hints of lime and greengage. The citrus really picks up and the aromas do become a little on the tart side. With time a light cider apple note appears but overall it’s pretty clean and vibrant.

The palate is earthy with hints of old rose petal marc and bitter wood spice. Hints of barley and honey come through and the lime builds on the middle. Tart and citric finish with the old marc notes returning along with the earthy notes. There’s not a huge amount of oak character, so I’d imagine it was aged in a well used cask!

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tullibardine 1992 (27 year old) 41.1%

Bourbon/ Code: EDI0537

Dist: Sept 1992 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

Aromas of herbal marzipan and slightly hard barley. Hints of oxidised and fleshy apple with a touch of edgy citrus. The oak isn’t as mature as I was expecting but overall the nose is pleasantly rounded and deep.

The palate opens with plenty of creamy and vanilla’d oak. Subtle barley and green fruit. There’s a lot more oak than the nose would suggest and again it’s not as mature as one would expect. Good length with lingering oxidised fruit, marzipan, hard barley and lime.

Douglas Laing Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Tullibardine 1993 (24 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0504/ DL12026

Dist: Mar 1993 Btl: Aug 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2017

Typical ‘tulli hardness, but the nose is softened by the barley and oak. Hints of baked fruit, dusty spice, toffee and lemon.

The palate is a little cardboard with wheat-a-bix, malt and barley. Slightly marc-like, old spirit middle with subtle spice. Medium length with lingering old marc, vanilla, coffee and earth. It’s creaking a bit, but enjoyable!

Claxton’s Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Tullibardine 1993 (24 year old) 52%

Bourbon Hogshead 1718-945

Dist: Mar 1993 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Apr 2017

An earthy and edgy nose with heather, malt extract and toasted toffee. Meaty and beefy, but balanced with late hints of sweet vanilla, straw, green apple and lime.

The palate is oily and biscuity with malt, dark honey and roasted coffee bean. Quite tannic on the middle but the maltiness balances. Mouth-watering almost tartly citric finish with a superb intensity and lingering green fruit, pepper, rose petal marc, malt and drying spices. It’s an impressive old ‘tulli.

North Star Spirits Tullibardine Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Tullibardine 1993 (24 year old) 51.6%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Mar 1993 Btl: May 2017/ Tasted: Jun 2017

Aromas of slight hard but dusty barley with hints of lime, green apple, honey and very subtle oak. Overall it is quite edgy and sub-industrial, well, you can never fully escape ‘distillery character’! With time there hints of chamomile soap and wood spice.

The palate is edgy and ever so slightly cardboardy with barley, malt biscuits, honey and wood spice. Quite drying on the middle with a little green apple and citrus note coming through. Surprisingly the alcohol is quite intrusive. Medium length.

Bartles Whisky Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Highland Laird Tullibardine 1993 (22 year old) 51.1%

Bourbon

Dist: 1993 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: June 2016

Aromas of malt biscuits, pumice stone and faint industrial notes. Slightly balsamic with hints of sweet barley and sour, cider apple.

The palate opens with burnt biscuits, malt, hard barley and a touch of coffee. Oily with hints of green fruit, asparagus, dry barley and corn oil(?). Good length with lingering burnt biscuits, straw, tannins and alcohol. This is a hard one to love!

Hunter Laing Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tullibardine 1994 (21 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2544/ HL12143

Dist: Apr 1994 Btl: Nov 2015/ Tasted: Dec 2015

Heavy, balsamic baked fruit aromas with barley, dusty oak and subtle dried fruit. Slightly earthy with the barley developing a sweeter edge. With time an almost grainy fresh note appears to balance the balsamic character.

The palate is herbal and ever so lightly cardboardy with earthy baked fruit and malt. Medium length with lingering lightly spiced baked fruit and earth.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tullibardine 1991? (23 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2378/ HL10453

Dist: Sept 1990 Btl: Apr 2014/ Tasted: May 2014

A hard nose of brittle barley, baked fruit, herbs, coffee, chicory and lightly creamy oak. With time it becomes quite leafy with dried grass, lightly oiled lemon and dusty, sub-industrial spices. All pleasantly balanced though.

The palate is a little hard, like the nose, but that’s often the way with Tulli. Creamy oak, toffee and a little honey soften. Hints of barley, apricot, baked fruit and mature oak emerge. A little hot on the finish with crisp citrus coming through to join the barley and dusty, clean, spices. Good intensity with a lightly oiled finish and a touch of Tequilla-esque fruit.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tullibardine 1992 (25 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2731/ HL14450

Dist: Sept 1992 Btl: Nov 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

Aromas of taught oak, vanilla, black and white pepper and spice. Lightly oiled with a touch of lime and gooseberry. The oak becomes slightly toffee’d with time, but it displays a good balance between it and the mature distillery character.

The palate opens with the mature barley and lightly oiled apricot. Slightly creamy and toffee’d with a subtle citrus note. Good length with a straw-like and vanilla’d finish. The palate is a little heavier on the oak and makes it less complex than the nose suggests.

MacPhail’s Tullibardine Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Tullibardine 1994 (12 year old) 46%

Refill American Hogsheads

Dist: Feb 1994 Btl: Apr 2006/ Tasted: Sept 2007

A crisp and clean nose with linseed oil, garden fruits and some youthful orange fruit.

The palate is clean and simple with linseed oil a touch of citrus fruit, cereal and not much else! Good length, tangy but uneventful.