The Tullibardine
new make is surprisingly clean and sweet with strawberry yoghurt, fruitiness
and some citrus on the nose. The new make is unpeated and without the characteristic
feinty sheep barn off-note. The new make should be a good base for wood
maturation. Tullibardine
has a nice concept for learning about the effect of maturation in different types
of casks.
The base
product Suvereign is matured for ten years in first fill bourbon barrels. Then
we have the cask finishes 225 Sauterne, 228 Burgundy and 500 Sherry that are
matured for one extra year in the respective casks. The number indicate the size
of the cask.
The
Suvereign has a nice clean vanilla, citrus and delicate oak nose. It is fruity
with apple, pear and marzipan. Coconut is more prominent towards the finish
which is relatively short.
The Sauterne
finished is floral, sweeter and more intense than the Suvereign. It is creamy
and citrusy with some orange and pineapple. It has a lot of vanilla and honey. It
is perhaps too much, and I probably would prefer the Suvereign in the long run.
The
Burgundy is finished in pinot noir casks. The Suvereign is increased with chocolate,
spice and red berries. Surprisingly there is nail polish remover, new make and potato
starch on the nose. It is a bit sour with vinegar, and it dies with water,
turning into tannins. It is not my favourite, but neither as bad as the description
should indicate.
The Sherry
finished has some new make on the nose, but it is far less than the Burgundy.
It has prunes, crème brulee, cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose, and it is a bit
sour with a tiny bit of sulphur, and perhaps a bit metallic. It has a quite dry
and salty finish. A nice whisky but I probably prefer the Suvereign. I can
think of many sherry matured whiskies that I would prefer to this one.
