Tamnavulin was originally set up in 1966. It is situated in the tiny village of Tomnavoulin, in the Speyside region of Scotland. Tamnavulin initially produced malt whisky for blenders such as Whyte & Mackay, Crawfords, and Mackinlay’s, but in 1995 the distillery was mothballed due to an oversupply of whisky at the time and declining demand – a fate shared by many distilleries during the 1980s and 1990s.
Yet with renewed global interest in whisky (and Scotch in particular), they reopened again in 2007, and they now retail a range of their very own single malt whiskies. The name “Tamnavulin” translates to “mill on the hill” in Gaelic, and is a reference to a historic old mill located on the site of the distillery.
One of the more unusual things about Tamnavulin that I’ve noticed is their lack of releases bearing an age statement. While you might be able to find the odd limited-edition release with an age statement, I’ve never seen one myself, and there don’t seem to be any listed on the distillery’s website. I did stumble upon the existence of a few vintage releases which sound very interesting, but these appear to only be available in Taiwan.
Instead of focusing on age, Tamnavulin appear to be deliberately releasing no-age-statement (NAS) whiskies that place an emphasis on a range of different types of cask finishes (a great number of these being wine-cask finishes). Both NAS whiskies, and exotic cask finishes, have become increasingly commonplace, and I think there are some pros and cons for both of these attributes.
Given the current Scotch whisky regulations, if you put an age statement on a bottle of whisky it has to be the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. While NAS whiskies can certainly contain whisky with impressive age statements, this may not always be the case. Some sceptics have argued that NAS whiskies are simply a way for distilleries to cut costs by selling immature whisky that they can give a fancy name. As there is no information about the age of the whisky you’re getting in your bottle, there can be some concern about the potential complexity (or lack thereof) one can expect to find in a NAS whisky.
Yet I have tasted a number of NAS whiskies that have been both complex and excellent, so age obviously isn’t everything when it comes to producing good whisky. Young whisky needn’t be bad either. Most newly opened distilleries will initially release NAS whiskies while they wait for their stocks of whiskies to mature, and again, I’ve tasted a few excellent examples of these too!
Some of the pros of NAS whiskies are that distillers arguably have greater freedom to experiment when it comes to blending some younger and older whiskies together. If they are not overly focused on maintaining an age statement, they can instead concentrate on achieving a specific flavour profile without any age-related constraints. In theory, at least, this could lead to some creative and interesting whiskies.
Since NAS whiskies often contain younger spirit, they also tend to be a little more affordable than their age-statement counterparts. I regard this as something of a pro, as this can make some high-quality whisky more accessible to a broader audience (although it should be noted that there are plenty of very pricy NAS whiskies out there too).
When it comes to cask finishes, and the sheer volume of whiskies now finished in new and exotic cask types, concern has been raised that this practice may be more of a marketing gimmick than a meaningful addition to a whisky’s character. In some cases there may be something to this thought. By finishing a whisky in an unusual cask, one can fairly easily give one’s whisky a new twist, and in doing so one can potentially increase sales without the new finish necessarily adding anything of real value to the whisky.
Yet it must be said that offering whisky enthusiasts something new needn’t be considered a negative. Like NAS whisky, interesting cask finishes offer distilleries a chance to experiment and innovate. And unusual cask finishes (like wine or tequila casks, for example) can also genuinely add a whole new layer of flavour complexity to a whisky, so certainly shouldn’t be dismissed right off the bat.
Tamnavulin’s two most prominent releases include the Double Cask (which is matured in American oak and finished in sherry casks) and the Tamnavulin Sherry Cask Edition (which is matured in American oak and finished in three different types of sherry casks – exactly what these three types of sherry cask are is not specified). My focus here is on Tamnavulin’s Sherry Cask Edition. It is officially bottled at 40% ABV, but here in South Africa you’ll find it bottled at 43% ABV (a quirk resulting from local whisky regulations).
Tamnavulin Sherry Cask Edition – Review
Colour: Burnt orange.
On the nose: Fresh red apples, ripe banana, and a touch of honeydew melon. Some vanilla and gentle spice. A sharp and tangy sweet note, reminiscent of lemon meringue, makes an appearance. Brown sugar. Settles into aromas of rich dates and sweet raisins, with a dry and nutty note in the background.
In the mouth: Initially very sweet, warm and spicy – although the sweetness loses some of its intensity over time. Fairly full-bodied in texture. Malva pudding. A hint of almonds, followed by some chocolate-coated cherries.
There is a much brighter sweet note detectable in the empty glass, which reminds me of some strawberry flavoured candy.
Conclusion:
For a very affordable NAS whisky (I found a bottle for just over $30, a very similar price to Glenmorangie’s Triple cask reserve), this whisky exceeded my expectations. Tamnavulin’s Sherry Cask Edition delivers a good mix of sweet, spicy, and fruity notes. If you enjoy whisky on the sweeter end of the spectrum, this could be a good choice. I imagine it would also serve as a great introduction to sherried whisky for anyone unfamiliar with the category. There’s enough going on that, even for more experienced whisky drinkers, it should be an enjoyable whisky – and I’d certainly be happy to buy this bottle again to keep as one of my regular sippers.
