Tamdhu Batch Strength Batch 001

Tamdhu has found a small place in my heart by offering very solid, sherry cask whisky for quite awhile now. My buddy @Generously_Paul would probably be considered the president of their fan club if such a thing existed. He’s also the reason I receive multiple pours of practically everything they release, so thanks for that my friend. I like to relate to Tamdhu as the discount sherry spot versus Macallan and even Glendronach. They offer similar quality usually at a better price. This is their first NAS cask strength release, which has now grown to four subsequent releases, Batch Strength 001. Its NCF, no color added and bottled at 58.8% ABV. It’s amber and copper in color and makes skinny, oily legs and tiny droplets in your Glencairn when you take the time to rough it up in your glass before a tasting. The nose is standard, Tamdhu sherry with newer smelling vibrant oak in the background. Time will release raspberry purée and a nutty, malty note that’s quite Macallan-esque. The heat blocks any more depth for me, I suspect because I refuse to add water to a 2oz sample. Other reviewers point out that you can go much deeper on the nose and palate if you dilute it to a proper 43-46%. I just don’t like to do that unless I have more whisky on hand, so perhaps next time. The palate is initially like a peppered, sherry wine with cherries, vine-ripened berries, raisins and light citrus. I think I confused any identifying citrus characteristics with the higher heat from the ABV and the blast of oak from the casks used. Again, water is probably your friend here, but I’m a whisky snob and a jerk sometimes and refuse to invite the stuff into my Glencairn willingly. Surprisingly, though, there is a rich, full mouthcoat I don’t usually associate with cask strength whisky. So, that’s a plus. The finish is long, spicy and hot with the predominant flavors being cherry and spiced oak. The youthful spirit is on display with a slight harshness that just wont quit, but I’m playing the whisky tough guy act and letting my eyes water a bit (or maybe it was that Sarah Mclachlan animal rescue commercial playing in the background- I’ll never tell, lol). Either way, a single tear ran down my cheek (1980’s anti-littering, Native American commercial style) before I brushed it away and chased the dram with a slug of bottled water. Yes, I’ll recycle said water bottle, my friends- I ain’t that heartless. Overall, this is another fantastic cask strength bottle from Tamdhu. As I look back over my Batch 002 review, one thing caught my watery eyes- I didn’t get any dark chocolate notes like I did with that batch and for that reason I gotta conclude that Batch 001 isn’t quite as good as its successor. So, that said, this one is 3.75-4 stars, max. It’s good, but I think the second release is better. I’m about to try the Batch 003 soon- maybe they get better every time. Now that would be something worth getting emotional over. Cheers, and thanks for reading this one through.

Tamdhu entered my life a few months ago by way of the SDT. The 10 year old Speysider old blew me away and I had to have more. I quickly went out and bought the 10 and not long after I decided to start a collection of all of the Batch Strength releases. This review is for batch 001. Batch 001 is bottled at 58.8% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a rusty copper typical of a heavily sherried whisky. Let me start by saying that over the multiple tasting sessions I forgot to separate out the nosing and tasting notes with and without water, so please know that somewhere between neat and varying amounts of water this is what I found. Strong sherry and spicy oak open the nose. Powerful. Red berries and maybe blackberries, caramel apples and cherry cordials. Nutty - walnuts, pecans and cashews. There was a strange detergent note but I wouldn’t call it unpleasant. Oranges, tobacco, fennel or anise, a little mint and some candle wax. Some BBQ sauce shows up with brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and salted caramels. Tangerines and chocolate. At times it’s malty/yeasty like buttery biscuits. Raisins, dates and some chocolate chip cookie dough. Strong spicy oak and intense sherry on the palate. Pepper, cherries and berries. Orange peel, tangerines and tobacco. A touch of almonds, some nice spiced fruitcake and raisins. Medium to full bodied mouthfeel. Hot, dry then mouthwatering. A long finish. Orange oil, sherry, cherries, oak and spices. At first tasting this was really a difficult whisky to wrap my head around. The ABV really closed off the nose and made the palate too intense to pick out the nuances. Such is the case with most cask or batch strength whiskies I suppose. Once I put my ego aside and gave in to the addition of water I was greatly rewarded with a nice robust sherry bomb. I found the sweet spot to be a 15-20% addition of water. This is enough to bring out much of the greatness that is in the 10 year old and still leave some of the batch strength power. I still prefer the 10, but this is pretty damn good. I hope the subsequent batches are just as good. Out of the bottle I’d give a 3.75. With the perfect amount of water it’s a 4.25. So I’ll split the difference and call it a solid 4. Cheers

This is in solid A’bunadh territory in terms of quality. It’s not sherry napalming your village, though. This has a strangely delightful Macallan richness. On the nose, it is the most Macallan of non-Macallan whiskies. The bottle shape is like a Macallan from the future. What the fuck is Tamdhu trying to do? Be more Macallan than Macallan? I certainly don’t mind the nose; it’s decadant, if a bit unoriginal. The palate, thankfully, has an original detour. Sweet honeyed Wonderbread, Lindt chocolate infused with red chili and sea salt. This is the definition of a sultry whisky. The youth shows on the somewhat anticlimactic finish. From memory: better than Glenfarclas 105, better than Macallan Classic Cut, better than Glengoyne Cask Strength… better than the recent Aberlour A’Bunadh’s; not quite at the level as the old A’Bunadh’s, but the ABV is not as prominent either. You can have this with or without water. I am not sure. I must save some of this delicious bottle for a blind tasting with all the NAS sherries I have, which includes unopened batches in the 30s of A’bunadh... Presumptive mark: 91/100

I had a sample of this last night, while waiting at the Denver airport during a 4 hour flight delay. Sample courtesy of @Generously_Paul. I actually bought the sample with me to Denver, hoping to have it while working in the hotel room...but am instead glad to have as solace during a ridiculously long flight delay. This really reminded me of the Macallan Ckassic Cut. Probably in every sense except the price. At $20-30 less, this is a better VFM. Classic sherry cask profile—-hazelnuts, creamy vanilla. Deeply rich and flavorsome. Thanks Paul for the sample—-came in immensely useful considering the circumstance

What a great night cap I just opened for Christmas & already down half way through bottle. Everyone loved it. Nose is all figs & toffee. Rigjt away there is vanella, brown sugar, figs. Very creamy & risch mouth feel. Long pleasant finish. Christmas in a glass. Will definatrly look for batch 2.

Nose was great, sherry, dark fruits. Taste is one dimensional and low in alcohol content. Flavor is flatter than expected. Cheap bubble gum, processed sugary taste. Lazy finish, lacks body.