Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish

Rating: 10/23 I've had some good experiences with Tullibardine before. Nothing has really blown my mind, but I've enjoyed them mostly. I like sherry aging, so hopefully this is good. N: Uh oh. This is thin and grainy. I get some sort of fresh fruity sweetness in the back, but it's like a reasonably fresh sherry cask had some young scotch dumped into it for a brief finishing before moving onto the next batch. This isn't full and there just isn't much happening here. P: What a relief! this is much fuller than the nose suggested, with plenty of sweetness combining restrained malt from the grain with some sort of ambiguous fruit. The grain comes in to dry the profile and keep it the sweetness in check.That's all fine, but there's also a distinct alcohol flavor coming through. That's just unpleasant. There is a nice spiciness as well, which also adds some earthiness, but as the palate progresses I get more and more alcohol. F: Hints of that earthy spice. Mostly it's just alcohol, unfortunately. The finish is actually unenjoyable. - Conclusion - This isn't actively bad, but it is disappointingly certainly not good. It's light, uncomplex, and shows its alcohol. I would take Dewar's 15 (13) over this by a substantial margin. Highland Park 12 (12) is also clearly superior. Highland Journey, on the other hand is about neck-and-neck with this. The Highland Journey has a cleaner, but starker and harsher profile. Both are clearly quite young. I'm looking at a 10 or 11 for this. I think that both it and Highladn Journey are getting 10s.

My first Tullibardine was a very nice dram, an interesting sherry finished whisky which surprised me for its raw Pedro Ximenez flavor. Anyone who has tasted a Pedro Ximenez Sherry and a whisky matured in a PX cask will know that even if they are "kind of cousins" in flavor profile, they are not exactly the same; well... this Tullibardine Sherry Finish delivers a wonderful aftertaste that is the most similar flavor to a sherry wine that i have ever tasted. Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose it is a little dim, dry Cake, Dulce de leche, Tobacco, Brown grass, Blackberries and some Herbal notes. On the palate it is wonderful. Honey, Px sherry, Blackberry marmalade, and suddenly a pleasant Spice bomb. Super sweet and spicy. Clove. Aftertaste is superb. It is a Sherry wine. First you feel this bitter tobacco sensation to then explode into the finest of Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wine. Not whisky, but sherry wine. Very well done sir. Overall, i can tell you that this whisky delivers the promise of a "sherry finish" since its definitively a highland malt that you taste and enjoy and suddenly it gets silent for one second and then, boom! A sherry wine ending. 92/100. Great dram.

Over the last few weeks I was able to try the Sovereign, 225, & 228 expressions, and liked each one better then the last. Now with this 500 sherry finish let’s see if the trend continues. The sherry is the star on the nose, with dark fruits coming out first. Reminiscent of children’s cherry cough syrup, but not in a sweet way, just the concentrated way. After some time to breathe the malt comes in next, with hints of dark cocoa dancing in and out. It’s not boring, but it is a little flat footed. Palate doesn’t deliver anything new, but what’s there is good. Starts off slick and oily which is a plus, giving you time to enjoy the robust cereal and honey medley this offers. Baking spice is next up, really doing it’s best to bring a little effervescence to that rich umami that’s been there for both front and mid palate. After that there isn’t much else. Finish lingers about medium in length, with some warm oaky tannins that are just a bit on the bitter side. Overall this is a tasty dram, but the extra syrupy sherry influence isn’t super exciting. Perhaps I’m a bit spoiled now and just more inclined to looking for funky adventures.

Gifts are a funny thing, especially from family. I was impressed when a family member (who is not one for selecting whiskies) presented this bottle of Tullibardine 500 Sherry Finish to me. I tend to be a gift minimalist, in that there's not much I need and more often than not, I hold onto well-intended gifts for too long out of guilt. Tullibardine claims a long history in Scotland as a drink purveyor since 1488. In the case of Tullibardine 500, this whisky spends time in both ex bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry cask butts. Nose is festive: clove, honey, apple and orange rind feels like a hot toddy by itself. Sip brings a rush of heat and visions of spiced sugar plums and oak with a relatively short finish. While this whisky may not inspire me to start dancing the Nutcracker, this whisky carries a sweetness and soul of the sherry cask that housed it that does make me smile. Tullibardine 500 is perfect for lovers of deep spice and sherry. What the spice rush detracts (for me) is made up for with its elegant, embossed, heavy-bottomed glass bottle. 7.5/10

Imagine if you will an impressionist painting made as a speyside-style drop. In the way portraits can be detailed and exact, impressionism gives you a different view. Or think of a speyside tribute act. Or speyside whisky painting by numbers! This is a good pour for the money. It isn't Glenfarclas (yes, I know Tullibardine isn't a speyside, it's a Highland, but in this case it might as well be), more a mostly successful attempt to produce that Christmas cake style, which loses detail but delivers on flavour. The tastes are somehow sharp and nuance is lost. You'll know the flavour profile. Brown sugar. Raisins. Slightly nutty. Basically rich sherry. Caramel. Vanilla. A good first foot into the taste and style. I enjoyed it despite limitations.

This was acquired by way of whisky pull at a benefit event. It's not one I've tried, so I'm not disappointed, although it's probably not one I would go out and buy otherwise. The nose is tangy green apple, vanilla, and something a little musty. The palate follows suit with much the same. Fairly creamy texture. The little musty funk goes back and forth between feeling like an off note and feeling like it gives this a little more interest than I might have in this otherwise. The finish goes pretty flat and then I taste more of the sherry casks, which don't seem especially impressive. As far as value, I think this is in the ballpark of a decent blended scotch and would hope that it's priced accordingly.