Tullibardine 18yo

I recently published a blog on the price of 18yo bottlings, @Tullidistillery didn't feature as they didn't have an 18yo when I started my survey back in 2021

But they do now, so let's try it!

I visited Tullibardine's distillery on the A9 on my trip up to Speyside in September and bought a bottle of their final Distillery Edition series a Châteauneuf-du-Pape finish which will be reviewed at a later date.

I met the wonderful Ros who I've been talking to for years since her Boutique Whisky days. When she offered me a sample of the new 18yo I couldn't refuse and a few days later a bottle arrived in the post!

In my recently survey of 18yo prices here, they ranged from £75 to £360...

Tullibardine's 18yo fits into the lower, more price friendly end of the scale, at £90

Distillery Notes:

Tullibardine 18 Year Old has been matured in a combination of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 43% ABV.

Distilled in 2005, this is the latest addition to Tullibardine’s core range of single malts.

The cartons are illustrated by Scottish artist Bryan Angus, depicting scenes and features of the distillery itself, making them a lovely gift.

The exceptional taste profile reveals warm spices and delicate aromas of dried fruit, caramel and vanilla, and reflects the outstanding quality and craftsmanship of our whiskies.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Characteristic Tullibardine bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, cream soda, sweet nectar, and oak intertwine with layers of dried fruit and warming spice.

Palate: Balancing the indulgent nose, there’s more spices to be found of nutmeg, cinnamon and candied ginger cushioned with a hint of brown sugar.

Finish: Spice on the palate mellows, the finish is smooth and buttery.

My thoughts:

Appearance: coloured mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thick line, take a little time to bead up and eventually fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: Christmas is a glass, mince pies and sherry: dried fruit, figs, dates and a little dunnage funk. The dried fruit notes are huge it's like sticking your nose in a bowl of Christmas Cake mix - yummy. There's some rum and raisin ice cream, a little scraped vanilla pod, hedgerow berries and a hint of spice to come.

Palate: sweet spicy arrival, oily but a little thin. All the dried fruit from the nose are here along with strawberries and raspberries. Sweetness comes from brown sugar, caramel sauce and some honey.  A little fruit and nut chocolate note. The rum and raisin ice cream is back too. There's a huge spice influence here - cinnamon, nutmeg and fiery ginger. But it's all nicely balanced. A little dryness as the liquid disappears invites you to take another sip.

Finish: lingering dry spice, toffee sweetness and dried fruit.

Overall: an 18yo is a special bottle, usually bought for a special occasion and you'll maybe splash a little more of the cash to buy one. Perfect for Christmas this is a lovely dram for a cold winter's evening in front of a fire with a mince pie (or two!) A lovely balanced dram with sweetness and spice on the tongue. The nose is amazing, the palate just a little let down by 43% chill filtration but that's how they hit the price point. On the other hand it's an easy sipper, inviting more sips and more pours!

Many thanks to @Tullidistillery for the bottle but this didn't sway my opinion.