"A very nicely aged Tamnavulin for those who prefer more grassy, sour/sweet fruity Speysider whiskies"
(Photo from Whiskybase)
Tamnavulin is probably one of the lesser known Speyside distilleries. It was built (only) in 1966 to provide spirit for blenders, and was mothballed in 1995 after it changed ownership to Whyte & Mackay. In 2007 it began operating again and in 2016 after extensive modernization, 50 years after its foundation, Tamnavulin single malt was launched again. Looking at this history, the 25-year-old from 1992, which I will be tasting today, was distilled before the distillery update and during the time when Tamnavulin was primarily meant for blends.
Nose
It feels very light with lots of pears, some grass, and a sweeter note with lychees and nougat. More overripe soft green fruits, a wet piece of painted wood, a hint of metals, and some sort of ice cream, which could be peach. There are many more hints and suggestions, in particular of all kinds of sugared citrus fruits. With water it becomes more balanced with caramel, more citrus fruits, a combination of fresh grass and straw, and then more fruit juice, but in the form of a light version. All in all well balanced and reasonably complex, but also slightly acidic and punchy in the nose.
Taste
It feels very alcoholic, with a fair amount of sour fruits. Grassy, slightly oily, before it goes more towards tropical fruits like mango, tinned peaches and pineapple. Slightly metallic, and further notes of lemon grass, and slightly peppery. It feels that we may need some water to further open it up. So with water, we have a more softy spirit with a whole bag of marshmallows, followed by a burst of sour fruits, and a grassy aftertaste.
Overall
Overall, this was a very nice dram to experience Tamnavulin for the first time. Although, this is an independently bottled older version, I am looking forward to test more distillery. Recommended for those who wants a more grassy, sour fruit aged version of a Speysider.
- Review 2019-039
- Single malt
- Tamnavulin Distillery
- Elixir Distillers
- 1992
- Bottled 2018
- Hogshead (#5377)
- Natural colour
- Non-chill filtered
- 50.6
- 247 bottles
- ±160-165
- Still available
- Whiskybase #121092
What others say
Big thanks to for sharing the sample!
Scores
• these are my personal views, so do not take them too seriously… nothing beats tasting these for yourself •
- Light fruits
- Grass
- Marshmallow