Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Addional coloring: No
Owner: Picard Vins et Spiriteux
Average price: € 150.00
Official website: www.tullibardine.com
Entered in Tullibardine’s core range in 2013, this twenty-year-old complements the other age-stated bottlings, including the 15 and the 18 of which you can find the tasting on the blog.
Maturation entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, basically an aged version of the Sovereign, at a decidedly competitive price for this age category, although it is not easily available.
Tasting Notes
Sweetness of white fruit and pastries present without excess on the nose, softened by spices (black pepper, ginger, star anise) and a citrus note between grapefruit and lime. Ripe peach, apple, and pear, banana, pineapple, pastry cream, fondant, marzipan, and pecans, with a slight vegetal vein (including malt) featuring menthol characteristics. On lenght, honey with a waxy note. I expected something more opulent and elegant, while it is overall pleasant but rather anonymous.
Sharp on the palate, with vibrant spices that tend to dominate the drink, where the roundness of the aroma gives way to herbaceous and acidic nuances. Prominent are the cereal notes with anise, licorice root, bitter citrus, nuts (almonds, walnuts), and fennel, while fruit and pastry are relegated to the background, emerging only occasionally and in length. A slight puff of toasted wood on the finish.
Finale not very long marked by spices that accompany the vegetal and citrus notes, balsamic breath and toasted wood.
Review: As Stephen King said, “You get what you pay for; you pay for what you get.” It is difficult to expect great complexity from a whisky of this age at a bargain price, and indeed Tullibardine reaffirms my impression of a distillery with rather uninteresting and unengaging characteristics, struggling to aspire to excellence to the point that perhaps it doesn’t even care.
Vote: 79/100