Tamdhu Batch Strength Batch 003

Heading back to my favorite Speyside distillery, Tamdhu. I absolutely love what they are putting out these days, as well as their commitment to quality. Everything they release is natural color, and most is non chill filtered. Everything released under the official Tamdhu label is also 100% Oloroso sherry matured (I do believe they sell casks to independent bottlers that may not be Oloroso or even any type of sherry at all). So here we have the third installment of the Batch Strength series, Batch 003. Bottled at batch strength (duh) of 58.3% ABV and as previously stated, non chill filtered and natural color of dark copper. Intense and overpowering on the nose if you go in too quickly after pouring. Something this strong needs time to breathe. Dark red fruits, mostly cherries, await you after letting it settle down. Oak and cinnamon, warm and inviting sherry. Strong vanilla, some orange peel, raspberries, blackberries, raisins and brown sugar. A little mint here and there along with dark chocolate and hazelnut. A little more time in the glass yields rich toffee, caramel and even a little maple syrup. More oak followed by some licorice root. Marzipan and almond butter wind things down. A splash of water reveals fruitcake and more fruits like dried apricots and nectarines. Spice cake, more vanilla, fennel/licorice root. Chocolate licorice (if you’ve never had it then you have no idea what I’m talking about, but it was a childhood favorite of mine). Intense heat on the palate, but it burns so good. Sweet and savory sherry, oak, cherries and raisins. Some spice in the way of cinnamon and clove that transitions into Brazil nuts. Fresh pumpernickel bread...that’s a first for me. Mulled wine with blackberries and mulberries. Again that almond and marzipan from the nose, which is there and gone quite quickly. Water reduces the oaky presence as well as the heat and brings out dried apricots, chocolate sauce and more of the chocolate licorice...delicious. A full bodied mouthfeel that is hot, oily and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long with strong sherried oak, berries/cherries and vanilla. A very good batch indeed. Better than batch 001, but I think batch 002 tops this one ever so slightly. Intense flavors, as are all the Batch Strength bottles, which really drives home just how well made this whisky is. I don’t regularly smoke cigars, and pair them with whisky even less often, but a snifter of this scotch paired with a Don Diego was quite magical. If you enjoy cigars I would highly recommend it. I gave 002 a solid 4.5, but as far as 003 goes I’m going with a 4.25. Cheers

It’s time for another sample from Tamdhu’s Batch Strength Series: this is Batch 003. This sample was sent to me from my buddy, and Tamdhu fanboy, @Generously_Paul, from Michigan. This has turned into an annual release that has always been non-chill filtered, no color added and, obviously, cask strength. This particular release comes in at 58.3% ABV. Each batch also runs in the $85-95 range and is always a pretty good example of a sherry bomb, single malt. This batch is no exception. It starts out a worn copper in color and is heavily oiled with no immediate-forming legs. It leaves lots and lots of very tiny drops behind after a thorough spin in the glass- as do most high ABV malts. The nose is predictably sherry-forward, with lots of berried fruit such as raspberries and blackberries. Sun dried raisins, fresh grapes and a light citrus note help hide some of the harsher notes from the oak casks and youthful spirit. Bitter chocolate also settles in after time or even a drop or two of cool water. The palate is maraschino cherry juice and sweet sherry wine. The heat is inevitable and ushers in some cinnamon, pepper and a biting mid sip mouth feel. You’re drinking whisky here, and even though the viscosity seems thicker and almost like a cough syrup consistency- it’s still velvety. Dark chocolate undertones really slam the door on the flavor profile at the back end and help cool things leading into the finish. Speaking of which, it’s medium/long and full bodied. Faint oak and sherry wine combine with hints of orchard fruits and more chocolate to leave the dessert profile hanging behind. It’s another fine vintage for the Batch Strength series. Overall, it’s easily another 4+ star release and it’s definitely better than Batch 001. I still think Batch 002 is my favorite to date, with this one being a close second. Batch 004 is now out and I hope to be trying that one soon and I hope it lives up to the lineage of those that came before it. 4.25 stars. Cheers.

The appearance gives me the impression this is heavy on the refilled sherry casks. Rather light in color for a sherry bomb, still a strong amber color that's 3-4 shades darker than golden. Though with scotch, it's always iffy to even discuss the color, this one thankfully lets us know it is natural color! Nose - I've never gotten so much butter scotch on a nose before. Just a huge bomb of butter scotch with light milk chocolate behind it. I have to dig deep to find the dark fruits behind that just absolute dessert bomb on the nose. At the end I get the lightest bit of bready oak to finish it off. A drop of water brings out more of the sherry notes, the figs, raisins, dates, etc. That said there's far more dessert still on here. There's also a distinct cherry like note, I almost want to describe a Manhattan without the bourbon oak. Taste - A total and complete dessert scotch. I'm just getting wave after wave after wave of flavor. Every time I think the scotch is done, I just get another wave of flavor. I've had at least 6 distinct waves just on the first taste. Vanilla, chocolate, butter scotch, dark red fruits, perhaps a cherry, baked cherry pie crust, maybe a touch of ginger. Water oddly brings out a bit more of an alcohol spark and brings in some spices with the oak tannin. I have no idea how I've managed to not kill this bottle. It's absolutely incredible. Make no mistake this is not an older scotch but this is a darn near perfect example of a CS scotch. 4 point score is not something i give lightly, but unless you hate sherry or the 70-90 price points is well outside of your price range, this is a must buy.

Tamdhu Batch Strength Batch 004 was one of my favorite Scotches to date. Which brings us to this one. I was very glad to have found one of these Batch 003 bottles. This one clocks in half a percent higher than the 004 at 58.3% ABV. Outside of that, it’s the same formula. So let’s hope the quality is also consistent. Nose: Poundcake, raisin, date, fig, plum, and grape. Cola. Absolute Sherry bomb. Carrot cake and custard. Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and milk chocolate. Orange cream soda. Cocoa. Dried apricot. Orange peel and black pepper. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and oak. A lot of heat. Palate: Gala apple and apricot. Plum, raisin, date, and fig. Caramel, vanilla, and cola. Grape and cranberry. Big-time cherry note. Orange cream soda. Milk chocolate and orange zest. Chestnut and a touch of pound cake. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Plum, date, fig, plum, and orange zest. Caramel, brown sugar, coffee, and chestnut. Orange cream soda. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long finish—I’d expect nothing less. Fantastic. What an absolute beast of a sherry bomb. It’s hot as hell but balanced and hits all of my favorite sherried-Scotch notes with powerful, undiluted ferocity. Despite, the heat, every flavor is still easily accessible. 5/5. Worth every penny of the $86 I paid to get this. I’d pay more to get another. It’s a gem from the past, so recommending this batch is not helpful, but based on this and my experience with 004, we have a winner with this line. With that in mind, I’ll be buying any future batch with confidence.

Every summer for years I’ve been trying to grow rare hard to find vegetables in my little garden. Kashmiri cucumbers. Chinese green radishes. French boule d’or melons. And every summer it’s a bust. Either the NJ seasons aren’t long enough, or the climate just isn’t what it (obviously) is in Kashmir, south of France, or southern China. Last year, I stuck finally to the reliable NJ tomatoes, eggplants, and squash. And voila....had a bounty of a harvest that tasted better than anything in grocery stores. Sort of like this Tamdhu. It’s a solid sherry matured whisky; it’s reliable, great value for money, and beats these NAS Macallans coming out with marketing back stories, and fancy tv ads (despite ones being pulled by the UK authorities). Why pay an arm and a leg for lousy Macallans when there’s reliable solid options like this? This has all the classic sherry flavors of dried fruits, hazelnuts, with enough oak influence to know it’s not a youngster. Figs, some marzipan. Long finish, cinnamon and roasted nuts. A solid 4 stars. At about $80, and average rating of 4.42, it’s about a 5.5% on a Price / Rating ratio. That’s pretty good considering 10% is for something like $50 that has perfect 5 ratings Thanks @Generously_Paul for this sample!

Stunning. Absolutely magnificent. One of the best single malts I’ve ever tried. I’m out in Colorado visiting my folks in suburban Denver and my dad wants to show me the local whisky bar, which happens to be modelled off a Scottish pub and has over 400 whiskies on the wall! I’m almost ashamed I never knew about this when I used to live out here. They had so many cask strength pours, independent bottlings, and rare pours. They even had Yamazaki 12 for $12 a pour! (More on that later...) This malt is more than just a sherry bomb. There are complex layers at every level. The nose has sherry, yes, but also chocolate, leather, and dates. On the palate I get more of those notes plus creme brûlée and baking spices. The finish is so long and warm and wonderful you don’t want it to end. It doesn’t drink like a cask strength, and it keeps enticing you to explore it more. I only added two drops of water, which brought out more of the dark fruits and gave it a little more roundness and openness on the nose and palate. If you find this one, I wouldn’t think twice about buying it. I haven’t tried the other batches but this pour was exquisite. Easily one of the top five drams I’ve tried. Cheers!