Tamdhu Batch Strength 002 is a big burly sherry bomb of a whisky and as you can see by the score above I think it’s great – and for about $99 after tax (in Los Angeles) it’s damn near a steal these days. Seriously. Who else is putting out a 100% sherry cask whisky, that heavily uses first-fill casks, at cask strength for under $100? You can definitely find some single casks out there, but nothing from a major producer.
In Tamdhu’s Words: Tamdhu Batch Strength
“A Tamdhu for the devoted malt fan, Batch Strength 001 is bottled un-chillfiltered at natural color and at 58.8%. Each batch is unique and varies slightly in style and intensity. As with every bottle of Tamdhu, once distilled it is matured exclusively in hand-selected sherry oak casks. Our oak is the finest in the industry, with a high proportion being first-fill and teeming with flavor. Finally, patience is required to allow these fine casks to do their work, giving Tamdhu its deep color and exquisite quality.”
I think one of the things I like the most about this whisky is that it’s so well balanced. The combination of “a high proportion” of first-fill with what will be 2nd, 3rd, etc. fill casks gives it that deep sherry character while letting some of the malt shine through in its dynamic delivery.
It’s NAS and it’s likely there’s a lot of whisky in here that’s <5 years old and was distilled in, or after, 2012. Reason being that they’re going to need all of the pre-2009, pre-closure, stock to keep the Tamdhu 10 on the shelves. But hey, I’ve never had a problem with NAS so long as it was done right and this Tamdhu Batch Strength 002 is done right. Now, lets get into the details in the Tamdhu Batch Strength review!
Tamdhu Batch Strength Info
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: Tamdhu
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 58.8%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 002
Price: $90
Tamdhu Batch Strength Review
EYE
Dark amber
NOSE
Sherry, malt, anise, cocoa, dried dark fruit, nuts, fresh cake and some light notes of vanilla and cooking oil. Water opens it up and the dark fruit jumps up next to the sherry and a bit of brown sugar arrives.
PALATE
Cinnamon, raisin heavy dark fruit, malt, wax, nuts, chocolate, cola spice, nutmeg, toffee, vanilla beans and some prunes. Water brings out the sherry sweetness in full force along with a richer vanilla essence.
FINISH
Long fade of sherry, fruit, cocoa, cinnamon, nuts and dark sweets.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Excellent balance, heavy full body and a slick oily feel.
OVERALL
Tamdhu Batch Strength is fantastic stuff. The aroma has an overall quality of a sherry drizzled fruit cake and the palate comes through with the same delivery but with a light vanilla frosting. The sherry sweetness threads through the dram from beginning to end with a balance and strength that surprised me, especially compared to the original batch 001.
Don’t get me wrong the first batch of Tamdhu Batch Strength was good. I never put up a review because I didn’t have a good photo, but per my notes I have it an 88 and this is a full 2 points above. If you’ve been on the fence about giving Tamdhu a try it might be worth your time to snag a bottle of Tamdhu Batch Strength 002.
SCORE: 90/100 (A-)
