Tullibardine 1993/2021

Tullibardine 1993/2021

Berry Bros & Rudd
Single malt - Speyside
Light bronze
48.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, apples, clay dust, toast, cinnamon, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, watery, expands. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon sweets, pears, toast, fresh cut grass, vitamin C tablets, white pepper, nutmeg. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon sweets, nutmeg, toast, cinnamon, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

Cask 954. This whisky has a dusty note, as if one were blowing the dust off a bottle. There’s some chalkiness to it, which I identify as vitamin C tablets. Complex and interesting stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tullibardine 28yo 1993/2021

Tullibardine 28yo 1993/2021

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Speyside 
Bright gold 
48.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sea salt, lemon zest, butter, shortcrust pastry, pink marshmallows, hints of jasmine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, warm, static, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour salty. Sea salt, white pepper, pink marshmallows, lemon zest, green apples, hints of shortcrust pastry. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, lemon zest, green apples, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Quite a tart little number, this whisky. Green apples and lemon zest predominate, but there’s a little peppery spiciness in the background. The eggy marshmallow and fruit notes conceal a salty edge.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tullibardine 27yo 1993/2020

Tullibardine 27yo 1993/2020

Port Cask, WM Cadenheads 
Single malt - Central Highlands 
Rose wine
41% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry laces, fizzy apple sweets, raisins, candied orange peel, toffee, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, warm, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Strawberry laces, candied orange peel, raisins, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, cream, hints of hazelnuts. 
Finish: Long. Cinnamon, malted grains, raisins, strawberry laces, hazelnuts.

Comments: 

Lovely and sweet, this, with a beautiful pink colour. Port cask finished whiskies can be hit or miss, but this one is most definitely a hit. Lots of sweet candy, and citrus as well, but the main notes are cinnamon and cream. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tullibardine 20yo

Tullibardine 20yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oats, malted grains, barley sugar, honey, orange peel, hints of white grapes.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, orange peel, white grapes, barley sugar, oats, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, dark chocolate, orange peel, honey.  

Comments: 

I think this has been discontinued. It’s well constructed, malty and spirity, honeyed fruit with chocolate. It wears its age lightly, I would have pegged this at nearer 12 years old rather than 20. For all that, I enjoyed it very much. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 28.26 (Tullibardine 10 yo 2005/2015)

SMWS 28.26 (Tullibardine 10 yo 2005/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
Pale copper
61.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried strawberries, blackberry jam, mint, plums, hints of leather. With water, strawberry jam, pineapples, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, juicy, mouth wetting. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Strawberry jam, gooseberries, blackberries, plums, mint, cucumber, hints of leather. With water, more strawberry jam, prunes, pineapples, hints of hay. 
Finish: Medium. Strawberry jam, cinnamon, blackberries, toast. 

Comments: 

Gloriously jammy, this is chockful of stewed fruit notes. Some slight refreshment in the form of cucumber, but it only gets jammier with water. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Tullibardine 14 yo 1992/2006

Tullibardine 14 yo 1992/2006

Official bottling
Single malt - Central Highlands
Buttercups
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, salt caramel, oranges, lemon zest, walnuts, roast pork, hints of leather, hints of violets.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, cool, slightly tingly.
Tasting: Salty sour. Oranges, lemon zest, leather, cooked rice, walnuts, hints of violets.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, cooked rice, walnut skins, salt caramel.

Comments:

Lots of subtle hints of grains, so faint that I'm not sure if I imagined most of them. There is one that's quite obvious, and unique - cooked rice, with a slight ferment that reminds me of sake. Good whisky, quite salty on the nose and again on the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 28.21 (Tullibardine 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 28.21 (Tullibardine 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
Light gold
54.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, cookie dough, hazelnuts, lemon cake, cashew nuts, macadamias, hints of grapefruit.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, volatile.
Tasting: Sour. Hazelnuts, cashew nuts, vanilla, lemons, grapefruit, honey, macadamias, hints of frogs legs, hints of toasted peanuts.
Finish: Short. Lemons, honey, macadamias, vanilla.

Comments:

Nutty and citrusy, with something meaty floating in the background. I identify this as Chinese cashew frog legs (?!), something quite unusual to find in a whisky. Quite luscious, and very interesting.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 28.20 (Tullibardine 19 yo 1989/2008)

SMWS 28.20 (Tullibardine 19 yo 1989/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
White wine
57.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hazelnuts, peanuts, walnut skins, lemons, hints of banana.
Mouthfeel: Light body, initially loose, thickens.
Tasting: Bitter salty. Hazelnuts, peanuts, bitter gourd, grass, hay.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, walnut skins, bitter gourd.

Comments:

Bitter and grassy, and quite interesting for all that. Not sweet enough I suppose, or peaty enough, just with a lingering undercurrent of bitter gourd. I don't mind a sniff or a hint, but it runs through the mouth and into the finish...

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 28.18 (Tullibardine 17 yo 1990/2008)

SMWS 28.18 (Tullibardine 17 yo 1990/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Central Highlands
White wine
56.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, pine nuts, almonds, tar, molasses, bread dough, hints of marmalade.
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter. Sherry, butter, oat bread, coffee, cocoa, hints of glace cherries, hints of pineapple. Water brings out a little more peat, hiding the faint fruity notes.
Finish: Long. Fades quickly, salty, coffee, cookie dough, cooked rice.

Comments:

Very grainy and nutty. There's oats, wheat and rice (and barley of course, goes without saying), pine nuts, almonds, and the bitterness brings walnuts to mind. And lots of coffee. I enjoyed this dram, but I wish there were some sweeter notes. Salty whisky needs more peat than this one has.

Verdict:

I like this.