Single Cask Nation Tamdhu 10yo (57.1%): One of the Single Cask Nation's recent releases, freshly delivered last week... It is a single cask Tamdhu first aged 10 years in a first fill ex-bourbon and then the half of the barrel got transferred to an ex-rye quarter cask for an additional maturation of eight months. Obviously the other half of the whisky is in a different quarter cask waiting to be bottled... So, note to myself: I have to save some of this whisky to taste side by side when its sister cask gets released. It is distilled in April 2007 and bottled in January 2018 under Single Cask Nation's online label yielding 144 bottles only.
Color: Oaked Chardonnay... Thin but with distinct legs all around the rim.
Color: Oaked Chardonnay... Thin but with distinct legs all around the rim.
Nose: Olive oil, rock candies and burnt straw. Pop rocks, heavily burnt caramel and caramel peanut brittles. Hay bales and toasted nuts. Grain dust, chalk and grist... Very malty and sweet. It reminds me the old Bladnoch bottlings. A few drops of water pulls the burnt candy aromas down: Pencil erasers, apple vinegar and sesame candy. Ground ginger and ground coriander. It is not very complex to be honest but I am enjoying it a lot now...
Palate: Most of the fruity notes you would expect from a Tamdhu are actually there but covered with a thin layer of caramel and sweet spices. Toasted sesame seeds, cinnamon and cloves. Blood orange, lychee and strawberries. Still malty, a little tart and maybe bitter now as well. Adding water works great. It gets sweeter. Toasted staves, saw dust and honey biscuits. Peanut butter...
Finish: Long, malty and sweet. Not tart like it was on the palate. Nutmeg and sesame seeds.
Overall: The moment I started to nose this whisky two images popped up in my brain: Like I mentioned before the old Bladnoch bottlings and Middle Eastern spice bazaars: Sesame candies, sweet spices and hookah cafes... Homesick..? Maybe... The rye cask finishing adds very unexpected but beautiful sweet and tart spices. It is definitely my kinda whisky, loving it... I have to admit that I actually bumped the score one point higher after I decided to pour a second glass for myself to enjoy the world cup game. They still have some bottles online folks, just saying...
Price: $100
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