Visually this dram is so pale I thought perhaps the Americans forgot to actually char or use the bourbon barrel. 😉 If I didn’t know what I just poured I would have bet money this was an Irish on the nose. Lots of fruit, like when you just peel back the tin lid of a can of Del Monte fruit cocktail. Usually the ethanol fades with time but this is the opposite.. the fruit gives way to malt and alcohol. Quite shiny too. Palate is initially sweet and shows some single malt highland character. Lots of cereal and a decent amount of spice all while staying quite light and refreshing. This is serendipitous however, as that light and playful palate is rather thin and fairly one dimensional. There isn’t much of a finish, but the best way I can describe it is like a dry white wine with just a hint of barrel wood. This is good, but not remarkable in any way and as their entry level it probably doesn’t need to be. If your reading this you have undoubtedly already tasted many scotches like this before.
About this bottle
Tullibardine was founded in 1949 but closed its doors in 1995. It reopened in 2003, and in 2011 was bought by French wine producer Maison Michel Picard. The small distillery ages this whisky in first-fill bourbon barrels. It's the entry level expression of the distillery's recently re-launched line.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 37 parsed reviews.
(Tullibardine x No Nonsense Whisky Tasting – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 31 May 2022). Nose: Sweet, vanilla, toffee, fudge, citrus/fruit, baked biscuits, creamy, artificial strawberry Palate: Citrus, pear, black pepper, allspice, mint, clove Finish: Medium short finish. Creamy, orange zest, vanilla, spice/cinnamon. Souring and spicy on the aftertaste. First fill ex-bourbon 6-8 years matured This is a spicy, vanilla heavy whisky - it's all about the ex-bourbon casks. There's a fair amount of well integrated complexity. Definitely an accessible and well rounded entry level session dram.
This is really quite excellent. It is malty, floral, slightly sweet, and somewhat "thick" on the tongue. The flavors are quite clean and crisp. Very easy to over-indulge on this one being so tasty and easy to drink. I think the flavors are somewhat akin to Glenmorangie 10, though slightly less floral. Even though this is a NAS whisky, I find it to be as smooth as any 10-12 year old. This must surely be at least 8 years old on the average. Most sources list this for around $50, a little over priced IMO, but I lucked out and bought a case at close out prices. Yeah me!
I don't know how to describe it... saw a lot of comments saying that it lacks character, but I am recepting something different - it smells like strong alcohol, to the extent that it feels a little stale. On palette, it's quite light and lacks flavour. This might be personal but definitely not my thing - if you're cross comparing it with another dram definitely put it as the first one.
The nose is very mild, there's hardly anything there, and what is there, has a mild white wine, cider note. The pallet is spicy, fairly warm, I get peaches or pears, there's a bit of spice, a bit of salt, and maybe a hint of white chocolate. It's also quite sweet. But finishes short, spicy, and a bit dry.
Highlands have never really been my thing, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for Tullibardine - they make great stuff. This one doesn't disappoint: apples, vanilla, and cinnamon enveloped in faintly charred oak. It's almost a timid bourbon, except with really strong notes of barley.
31 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
