Kategoriarkiv: Tullibardine

Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine the Murray Double Wood Edition – The Marquess Collection 2005-2020

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a big vanilla sweetness up front and honey and butterscotch underneath. The sweetness is intertwined with a dark fruitiness consisting of raisins and overripe plums. The darker notes get mixed with dark chocolate as well. It feels slightly top heavy, but it still has some nice things underneath to discover like a malty richness and baked apples. There’s a small gritty note in there as too. This is a great nose with a lot of small things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out a bit fresher and more powerful than on the nose. First out is dark chocolate and raisins soon followed by lemon zest in the back. The apples are now fresher as well. Underneath there’s a small rubbery gritty note which adds to the complexity and creates depth to the experience. The oakiness is present around the edges and after a while the whole becomes very peppery and slightly astringent.

Finish: The transition is logical and the spicyness spreads out over the palate. The gritty notes, the dark chocolate and the ripe fruits come back for a second or two before they get pushed back by the oakiness. The zesty notes and the apples are still in there, but they also get demoted by the oak. It’s a fresh woodshop oakiness. It’s astringent and really doesn’t suit the dram at all. This is a great whisky with a slightly disappointing ending.

Additional information
This is whisky aged for the entire maturation period in first fill ex-bourbon barrels mixed with whisky which are finished in first fill ex-sherry casks. 17550 bottles were made for this release.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 20 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild honey and coconut. It takes a while for the heavier flavours to really come through, but when they do, it’s honey, vanilla and sweet liquorice with the coconut resting a long way back. There’s a thin floral layer, which leans towards violets and there’s also a fruitiness which feels like it sits somewhere in between sweet citrus fruits and green apples.

Mouth: It starts out with a thick layer of honey. There’s a spicyness, but it’s really fine tuned and integrated within the whole. The coconut is very pronounced again and now there’s a very nice butterscotch note. The undefined fruitiness is now coming through as oranges and orange peel. There is a hint of age coming through as a fine layer of dustiness sitting in the back. It’s a very mellow, but not boring, experience.

Finish: A big surge of coconut and black pepper comes through before it lands in the honey jar once again. The dusty layer is still there and the fruitiness is now settled as oranges. After a while the oakiness starts to develop. It’s a very nice oakiness, not dry nor astringent. It just sits there for a long time before it charges to a undefinable nuttiness. The whole of this whisky is not a powerhouse, it’s just a refined gentleman with good manners.

Additional information
The Tullibardine 20 YO was released in 2013 as a part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in a combination of first- and second-fill american ex-bourbon casks.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 228 – Burgundy Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet malt and dark fruits. At first there’s a thick layer of figs, raisins and dark chocolate with a sweet maltiness close behind. It takes a few minutes for the nose to balance out and when it does there’s slightly fresher red fruits starting to come up towards the edges together with an oak note. The sweetness do subside, but the whole has a very sweet character and there are honey, vanilla and a burnt caramel note within. There are baking spices in there as well. It’s very easy to approach but it isn’t boring nor flat. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers a seemingly balanced experience for those who give it time to open up.

Mouth: It starts out with a very round and sweet center part with malt, honey, vanilla and the dark chocolate. On the outside it delivers a nice complex mix of dark and dried fruits, a hint of sulfur and the burnt caramel. After a few seconds a spicyness slowly arises from the outside. It takes a bit too long to arrive which makes the first impact slightly flat. The dark chocolate moves outwards and creates a nice bitterness around the edges. It feels young and lively but it’s not unpleasant and metallic. It’s a bit top heavy and there’s a big hole in the back of the palate.

Finish: The transition is uneventful and except for a minor increase in spicyness and the dark fruitiness it sort of just keeps on givning the same flavours and the same set-up with the sweet ball in the middle firmly in focus. It dies down rather quickly though and left is a mild peppermint and a bland oakiness. There’s a misplaced sour note coming through from the back as well. This is a decent whisky, but it’s let down by a rather disappointing finish. It is leaning heavily on the finishing cask which doesn’t cut it all the way through.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished in 228-litre Red Burgundy wine casks from Chateau de Chassagne Montrachet.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 500 – Sherry Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet layer of vanilla, honey and coconut sitting on top of a mix of dried fruits and berries. It’s a mix of raisins, apricot and orange marmelade. On top there are spices floating around. It’s leaning towards baking spices but doesn’t reveal any specific kind. It becomes sweeter in the glass over time and it’s a sticky sweetness which becomes a bit overwhelming and makes the whole thing a bit unbalanced. This is a nice nose. It’s not complex nor especially interesting but it does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild, very sweet mix of honey, vanilla, oak, coconut and sticky sweet red berries. Underneath there are notes of tobacco, coffee and just a hint of sulfur. It’s quite rich and delivers quite a nice palate. It’s a bit too sweet but it makes up for it with some nice background flavours which balances the whole thing out. There’s still notes of apricots and oranges but they are hiding behind everything else. It’s mild but not boring, with a small, yet pleasant, black pepper note on the edges of the palate.

Finish: It starts out with an increase of the sherry notes and now they come through as a bit darker than before with raisins, figs, coffee and tobacco. The black pepper spicyness sort of glides through the transition without increasing. It’s still mild yet decently rich and the sweetness keeps on delivering the same notes. It takes a surprisingly long time for it to fade and when it does, there’s still the oak impact left. It’s a nice enough oakiness with a fresh woodshop character and the coconut returns in the late finish. This is a really good whisky and hits over its paygrade. It’s a bit too sweet to be really balanced but it still delivers a nice array of flavours.

Additional information
This whisky was released in 2013. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for an undisclosed amount of time and then finished for 12 months in 500-litre ex-sherry casks.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine Sovereign

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a layer of sweet vanilla and honey. Underneath lies a young and fruity distillate which gives notes of green apples and pears. The fruitiness increases in intensity over time and a lemon sourness is slowly getting more and more attention. There’s also a floral side to it with a hint of violets coming through after a while. This is a good nose but it feels a bit shallow and lacks a bit of texture and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a very mild vanilla and the start is slightly underwhelming. It’s quite ethanol driven and gets a bit prickly and metallic after a few seconds. The honey sweetness is pushed out on the edges. The fruitiness is pushed back and it feels like there’s a cardboard note connected to a chewy oakiness in the back. There’s a savory note somewhere in the back which adds a much needed extra dimension to the whole.

Finish: The fruitiness with vanilla increase in intensity for a second or two before it returns to the previous state, once again with the young and metallic distillate up front and the cardboard, oak and the savory note in the back. It disintegrates rather quickly and leaves the oakiness to fend for itself. The metallic sour note is still in there for the late finish and it doesn’t help the rather uninteresting oakiness along. This is a so-and-so whisky with a nice nose.

Additional information
This whisky is the entry level in the Tullibardine core range. It was aged in ex-bourbon barrels for about 5 years. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 15 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a rich layer of honey and vanilla with notes of liquorice and baking spices within. It sits on top of a fresh red juicy apple fruitiness. With time it becomes more malty and fruity as the sweet layer seems to mellow down. It feels like a natural progression and when it reaches its final form it feels very well balanced. This is a great nose. It’s not especially complex but still offers a nice journey.

Mouth: It starts out with a very sweet and round center part with butterscotch, vanilla and honey. A thin outer layer offers a fresher lemon but it disappears when the core expands from the center outwards. It’s nicely textured and there’s a mild peppermint cloud floating around on top. It feels somewhat flat due to the rather low ABV, but it never feels watery. It’s still malty all the way through as well. For those who wait there’s liquorice emerging from the back which then moves forwards on the edges of the palate.

Finish: The red apples and sweet liquorice starts the finish from the back of the palate moving forward. The sweet honey, butterscotch and vanilla mix isn’t far behind and neither is the maltiness. The peppermint increases in intensity as the finish progresses and follows along until the oakiness makes a late entrance. It’s a nice fresh oakiness with a nutty hazelnuts quality to it. This is a great whisky with a lot to offer, especially for a sweet tooth.

Additional information
The Tullibardine 15 YO is part of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged exclusively in first-fill american ex-bourbon casks.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine 225 – Sauternes Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very sweet. There are notes of butterscotch, caramel and honey up front with vanilla as a baseplate. This sort of gives it a sponge cake vibe. A hint of seaweed is present and it really doesn’t belong with the other flavours. There’s a fresh distillate with a hint of green fruits coming through from behind. There’s also a salty, buttered popcorn note on top. Altogether it’s very warm and welcoming on the nose.

Mouth: Sweet and Spicy. It’s a little bit different than on the nose. There’s a new fruitiness with oranges and grapefruits. The sweetness is still there with honey and vanilla, but now with some orange marmelade added. The oakiness is quite bitter with some cocoa powder and the orange peel from the marmelade mixed in. It’s an astringent oak that sort of surrounds everything.

Finish: A very fresh burst of cirtrus fruits and peppery spices fade away as quickly as it arrives. The finish is all about the astringent oak. It’s a bright and heavy fresh oak, like newly cut oak boards. A hint of grapefruit peeks through somewhere down the line. The astringency increases with every sip. The sweetness is overpowered by the oak all the way through, but when it finally subsides the honey and vanilla notes remind you that they were there all along.

Additional information
The 225 in the name stands for the size of the barrique used for the ex-sauternes cask finish. It starts out for an undisclosed number of years in american ex-bourbon barrels before the 12 months of finishing.

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Highlands, Tullibardine

Tullibardine The Murray Marsala Cask Finish 2006/2018 – The Marquess Collection

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: Floral honey, vanilla, toffee, ripe red berries and plums. A nice funky complex note shows through. Reminds me of a liqueur soaked sponge cake.

Mouth: Sweet and dusty, astringent, spicy, ripe fruits mixed with custard. Very well balanced.

Finish: A spice burst turns into a tropical fruit note and a nice oak flavour. The ”funky” complex note follows all the way through to the finish. After a while the oak finish switch to coffee note.

Additional information
This version of The Murray is distilled in 2006 and aged in first fill american ex-bourbon barrels and then under a finishing period, about a year, in Sicilian Marsala wine casks. It’s bottled in 2018 which gives approximately 12 years of maturation. It’s a limited edition.

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