Tamdhu
Situated at Knockando in the center of the Speyside the Tamdhu Distillery managed to survive difficult years of economical ups and downs. This is due to the status of Tamdhu Whisky as a reliable component in the Blends of the Highland Distillers for years. It always was “The Can-Dhu-Spirit”. Since 2011 the distillery belongs to Ian Macleod Distillers who meanwhile started a revival of the brand and relaunched the Single Malt Tamdhu successfully.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Scotland, Speyside | |
| -3.353561 57.459423 | |
| Active | |
| Ian MacLeod | |
| 11 t | |
| 1896 | |
| 2,500,000 l | |
| http://www.tamdhu.com |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
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|---|---|---|
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Nosing
Sweet:
Sherry:
Sweet:
Fruit:
Sherry:
Spices:
Oak:
Vanilla:
Oak:
Vanilla:
Fruit:
Nuts:
Zitrus:
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon:
Caramel:
Zitrus:
Spices:
Malt:
Caramel:
Raisin:
Almonds:
Honey:
Apple:
Chocolate:
Malt:
Raisin:
Herbs:
Almonds:
Chocolate:
Honey:
Apple:
Berries:
Cherry:
Orange:
Dried Fruit:
Berries:
Herb:
Cherry:
Orange:
Nuts:
Plum:
Mint:
Mint:
Tropical Fruit:
Oil:
Herb:
Leather:
Oil:
Peat Smoke:
Dried Fruit:
Plum:
Barley:
Pineapple:
Leather:
Barley:
Herbs:
Peach:
Grape:
Fig:
Pepper:
Peach:
Banana:
Banana:
Dark Chocolate:
Wheat:
Grape:
Wheat:
Dark Chocolate:
Floral:
Fig:
Date:
Cake:
Cake:
Clove:
Alcohol:
Pepper:
Peat Smoke:
Alcohol:
Hay:
Hay:
Heather:
Date:
Lemon:
Blackberry:
Pear:
Pear:
Blackberry:
Floral:
Strawberry:
Green Apple:
Clove:
Grapefruit:
Lemon:
Red Currant:
Grapefruit:
Pineapple:
Green Apple:
Black Currant:
Maritime Notes:
Maritime Notes:
Tobacco:
Ginger:
Seaweed:
Tropical Fruit:
Walnut:
Ginger:
Walnut:
Seaweed:
Strawberry:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sherry:
Fruit:
Sweet:
Spices:
Sherry:
Nuts:
Fruit:
Spices:
Oak:
Caramel:
Oak:
Zitrus:
Caramel:
Vanilla:
Malt:
Zitrus:
Oil:
Nuts:
Chocolate:
Vanilla:
Berries:
Oil:
Orange:
Peat Smoke:
Dried Fruit:
Orange:
Berries:
Herb:
Malt:
Chocolate:
Raisin:
Peat Smoke:
Honey:
Herb:
Honey:
Dried Fruit:
Cinnamon:
Banana:
Banana:
Dark Chocolate:
Ginger:
Ginger:
Raisin:
Plum:
Dark Chocolate:
Lemon:
Plum:
Pepper:
Almonds:
Pepper:
Barley:
Barley:
Cinnamon:
Peach:
Date:
Apple:
Herbs:
Clove:
Peach:
Almonds:
Clove:
Cake:
Cherry:
Cherry:
Lemon:
Alcohol:
Herbs:
Lemon Peel:
Leather:
Pear:
Alcohol:
Heather:
Cake:
Lime:
Date:
Lime:
Grape:
Fig:
Pineapple:
Apple:
Chili:
Chili:
Coffee:
Coffee:
Hazelnut:
Grape:
Tropical Fruit:
Fig:
Tobacco:
Heather:
Floral:
Pear:
Hazelnut:
Leather:
Seaweed:
Tropical Fruit:
Maritime Notes:
Floral:
Grapefruit:
Mint:
Maritime Notes:
Lemon Peel:
Strawberry:
Blackberry:
Strawberry:
Mint:
Tobacco:
Green Apple:
Blackberry:
Seaweed:
Nutmeg:
Black Currant:
Walnut:
Anis:
Grass:
Walnut:
Nutmeg:
Green Apple:
Grapefruit:
Finish
Sherry:
Sweet:
Spices:
Sweet:
Oak:
Fruit:
Spices:
Sherry:
Oak:
Fruit:
Malt:
Vanilla:
Nuts:
Herb:
Herb:
Malt:
Chocolate:
Vanilla:
Cinnamon:
Dried Fruit:
Oil:
Zitrus:
Dark Chocolate:
Raisin:
Oil:
Zitrus:
Fig:
Chocolate:
Dried Fruit:
Herbs:
Nuts:
Cinnamon:
Dark Chocolate:
Peat Smoke:
Date:
Fig:
Date:
Herbs:
Pepper:
Leather:
Coffee:
Raisin:
Heather:
Orange:
Orange:
Ginger:
Coffee:
Heather:
Honey:
Caramel:
Pepper:
Peat Smoke:
Leather:
Caramel:
Cherry:
Berries:
Cherry:
Barley:
Barley:
Hazelnut:
Alcohol:
Ginger:
Hazelnut:
Alcohol:
Chili:
Berries:
Peach:
Chili:
Peach:
Honey:
Cake:
Walnut:
Almonds:
Walnut:
Almonds:
Floral:
Grape:
Grape:
Plum:
Cake:
Grass:
Blackberry:
Blackberry:
Tobacco:
Grass:
Iodine:
Tropical Fruit:
Floral:
Mint:
Mint:
Nutmeg:
Maritime Notes:
Apple:
Clove:
Plum:
Banana:
Banana:
Nutmeg:
Tobacco:
Clove:
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The Whisky
4 May 2013 was an important day for Tamdhu Whisky - let’s call it historic. The new owners Ian Macleod launched their first malt since the re-opening of the distillery during the famous Speyside Festival. Of course the present releases are based on Whisky that was produced before the takeover but it always is important what you make out of the stock you have in your warehouses. And Ian Macleod Distillers seem to make a good job.
The character of the Tamdhu Single Malt Whisky is formed by the clear water directly taken from the Tamdhu spring, the pot stills with their broad shape and of course by the use of Sherry casks for maturation. The result is a very gentle, smooth and slight oily Speyside Whisky with aromas of caramel, apple, vanilla, almonds, dark chocolate and citrus as well as dried fruits.
The flagship of Tamdhu Distillery is the Tamdhu 10 years old; a very fine Sherry cask matured sweet and smooth entry-level Speysider.
Confirmed malt fans will probably love the Tamdhu Batch Strength which is bottled in natural strenght of the respective batch. It is un-chillfiltered and of natural color. Sherry, red berries, nuts, dry fruits, crème brulée - the Tamdhu Batch Strength presents rich aromas and a smooth character.
Production
When Tamdhu was built it was one of the most pioneering distilleries the Speyside saw to that time. The architect that was hired for planning and building, Charles C Doig, was not only an architect but also an engineer. The kilns were designed to reduce heat loss and their waste was at that time pumped to the nearby railway station by an Archimedean Screw for further use.
Innovative equipment that was distinguishing for Tamdhu since a rebuilding of the distillery in 1950 were the saladin boxes. They replaced the common malting floors and Tamdhu didn’t only produce its own malt there but also supplied other distilleries. Their capacity was 14.000 tonnes per year. The saladin boxes are still there and could probably be re-activated in a short time, but when Ian Macleod Distillers restarted they decided not to use them.
In 2015 the total production of Tamdhu Distillery was about 2.5 million liters of alcohol.
The Mashing
The semi-lauter mashtun of Tamdhu Distillery has a capacity of 11.85 tonnes and it’s already more than 55 years old.
The Fermentation
Nine washbacks, made of Oregon pine, wait in Tamdhu’s tun room to be filled with sweet water and yeast to start fermentation. This tun room has got very high ceilings and large windows and walls and ceilings are painted in yellow and white colors so that the room appears to be very lightly and bright.
The Pot Stills
Distillation at Tamdhu Distillery is done in three pairs of stills. Three wash stills and three pot stills stand in a row. They were increased from two to four in 1972. Two more followed in 1975.
Warehouses
On site of the Tamdhu Distillery there are several warehouses. Four dunnage warehouses, 1 racked warehouse and 5 palletized warehouses host the stock of Tamdhu Whisky including the eldest cask dated back to 1961. Tamdhu is expanding and will accomplish some more warehouses in 2016.
Most casks you will find at Tamdhu will be ex-Sherry casks because these are the casks that give Tamdhu Whisky its unique character.
The History
When in 1896 a consortium of merchands and Whisky blenders (among them the famous William Grant) formed the Tamdhu Distillery Company the Whisky boom was at its peak. They hired Charles Doig as the architect of their modern and advanced distillery and in July 1897 the first cask was filled.
Only two year after the founding Tamdhu Distillery had financial problems and was sold to Highland Distillers. Times of closings and reopenings followed: Tamdhu was mothballed between 1911 and 1913, between 1928 and 1948 and between 2009 and 2012.
The Edrington Group that had taken over Highland Distillers in 1999 sold the Tamdhu Distillery and all stocks to Ian Macleod Distillers in 2011. They decided to reopen the still fully operative distillery and recreate the Tamdhu brand. They decided not to use the old in-house maltings with their Saladin boxes but to buy malt from extern producers.
A remarkable date that should be mentioned was 1 December 2014 when Sandy Coutts retired after having worked here at Tamdhu for 40 years. He started 1970 working at the maltings, then as a brewer and ended up as Distillery Manager. Another Sandy has now taken his place: Sandy McIntyre, former worked at several Diageo distilleries, joined the Tamdhu team as the new Distillery Manager.
Visitor Center
There’s no visitor center at Tamdhu in the moment. There used to be a shop and visitor center in the Old Knockando Station but it’s not open any more.
There are distillery tours offered as a part of the Speyside Festival program in spring but you have to be quick and book them in advance.
Tamdhu Distillery
Knockando
Aberlour
AB38 7RP
Tel: +44 (0)1506-852205
Email: info@tamdhu.com
User Notes about the Distillery
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