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On a recent trip to the store I noticed a bottle of Tamdhu 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky for $19. Can a decent bottle of single malt be had for under $20? I had to find out.
What is it?
Tamdhu is a distillery located in the Speyside region of Scotland and its product is primarily used as a blending malt in the Famous Grouse, J&B and several other blends. The distillery produces over a million gallons of distillate a year, which is likely a chief reason for the low price.
How is it?
To my suprise this doesn't taste like vodka that has been passed through a slice of bread. Instead, Tamdhu 10 smells slightly of orange and barley. You really have to breath deep to get to the bottom of it. It is clean and doesn't smell of raw spirit like some other young whiskys. Cut with a little water you can begin to sense some peat on the nose, but it resides mostly in the background.
The taste is somewhat lacking in complexity. It doesn't taste bad and in fact is so inoffensive it comes off a little bland. There is a nice clean hint of butterscotch flavor, which is very nice. The mouth feel is rather exceptional, with a slight oiliness that warmly coats the tongue.
The finish is sweet with a touch of Speyside chocolate and honey, but it is short and dissipates rather quickly.
Overall
This is by no means a bad bottle of scotch. It is not great either. If you are having some friends over and plan to put away the better part of a bottle, this will certainly do. If you want to contemplate a glass for a half hour and find the deep nuanced flavors and aromas this is not the one. That is just my opinion, check out the New York Times review. Really, for $20 you can't beat this in the single malt category.
I give it a 9/6 value to quality rating.
What is it?
Tamdhu is a distillery located in the Speyside region of Scotland and its product is primarily used as a blending malt in the Famous Grouse, J&B and several other blends. The distillery produces over a million gallons of distillate a year, which is likely a chief reason for the low price.
How is it?
To my suprise this doesn't taste like vodka that has been passed through a slice of bread. Instead, Tamdhu 10 smells slightly of orange and barley. You really have to breath deep to get to the bottom of it. It is clean and doesn't smell of raw spirit like some other young whiskys. Cut with a little water you can begin to sense some peat on the nose, but it resides mostly in the background.
The taste is somewhat lacking in complexity. It doesn't taste bad and in fact is so inoffensive it comes off a little bland. There is a nice clean hint of butterscotch flavor, which is very nice. The mouth feel is rather exceptional, with a slight oiliness that warmly coats the tongue.
The finish is sweet with a touch of Speyside chocolate and honey, but it is short and dissipates rather quickly.
Overall
This is by no means a bad bottle of scotch. It is not great either. If you are having some friends over and plan to put away the better part of a bottle, this will certainly do. If you want to contemplate a glass for a half hour and find the deep nuanced flavors and aromas this is not the one. That is just my opinion, check out the New York Times review. Really, for $20 you can't beat this in the single malt category.
I give it a 9/6 value to quality rating.
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