Colour: Reddish amber.
Nose: Fruity start on the nose with red berries, cherries and plum compote. This is accompanied by a delicate spicy note of cinnamon, pepper and oak, followed by a touch of dark chocolate and mint in the back. The alcohol is present but not pungent at all.

Palate: Fairly sweet and fruity on the palate with cherries, raspberries and black currants. Then the high alcohol content becomes noticeable with a warming mix of spices - pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. This is complemented with a nice creamy touch of plums and dark chocolate towards the finish. Pleasantly mouthfilling.
Finish: The finish is long and slightly warming with a creamy fruitiness along with a touch of walnuts, slightly bitter notes of grape seeds and dry oak.
With water: The fruitiness on the nose is slightly tamed when a splash of water is added while more spicy notes - pepper in particular - are coming through. Bold and intense on the palate with cracked black pepper and a creamy fruitiness of raspberrries and plum jam. Remains sweet towards the finish. The finish is a bit shorter but still sweet and creamy with sticky fruit followed by dry notes of oak and grape seeds.
Comments: This tasty Tullibardine matured in an Amarone red wine cask and thereby achieved an intensive red colour and distinct fruit aromas of red berries, cherries and plums. The spicy notes of oak and pepper keep the whole in a very nice balance and give this young single malt body and depth. The high alcohol content is already very well integrated. A worthy bottling for the 4th anniversary of the Whiskyhort.

I thank Juergen Schneider from Whiskyhort for the complimentary sample and the image!

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Complex but fresh on the nose with tropical fruits, star fruit and peaches. Sweet notes of vanilla are coming through, nicely mixed with butterscotch, milk chocolate biscuits and a touch of mint.

Palate: Wow - this one is very bold and intense on the palate. Rather peppery along with a discreet sweetness of vanilla, biscuits and icing sugar. Very warming indeed. Once the warmth and spiciness fade sweet notes of honey and golden syrup linger with some fresh mint towards the finish. Pleasantly mouthfilling.
Finish: A long and warm finish with creamy sweetness, honey, notes of bananas, along with milk chocolate and a lingering nuttiness.
With water: The fruitiness on the nose is a bit tamed when a few drops of water are added. Still sweet with vanilla. On the palate the spiciness is pushed in the background with fruity notes of peaches, star fruit and bananas coming through. The finish is significantly shorter with only a touch of sweet vanilla, and dry oak on the tail.
Comments: This Tullibardine is old in a sense that it shows multi-layered notes of fruits, nicely mixed with vanilla, biscuits and a significant amount of spiciness resulting from 25 years of maturation in a wooden hogshead. On the other hand, however, this dram is still fresh - especially on the nose - with a delicate note of mint. A complex single malt which needs time to develop its full aroma profile. But its worth every minute!

 

I thank Douglas Laing for the complimentary sample and the image!

Colour: Pale straw.
Nose: Lovely aromas of yellow fruit, along with gooseberry, pear and lots of delicate vanilla. A touch of floral honey is coming through complemented by subtle spice. Needs time to develop its full flavour spectrum.
Palate: Fuller than the nose with a very pleasant taste of ripe yellow fruit, gooseberry again along with lingering banana. Powerful spiciness on the midpalate with cracked black pepper and oak spice. In the end, lingering fruitiness takes the upper hand and sticks pleasantly on your tongue.
Finish: A medium to long, sweet and warm finish. Gets drier in the end with a touch of bitter orange peel. Very mouth-coating.
With water: Oh yes, there's more creaminess on the nose. The sweetness is still present with a touch of sour fruits (red currant) coming through, complemented by crisp vanilla and lingering peppery spice. Water tames the fruitiness/spiciness a bit on the palate. Sweet and very well-balanced.
Comments: I am very impressed by this pleasant balance of fruit and spice of this young Tullibardine. There's a lot going on here and adding some water is a very interesting tool to play with identifying various aromas. Very nice!

I thank Thorsten Manus and Whiskymax for the sample.

Colour: Amber.
Nose: Very complex on the nose. This one needs definitely a significant amount of time to disclose its secret. Smooth and fruity with lots of apricots, some red currant and blood orange with subtle pink grapefruit behind. Malted barley emerges with a whiff of herbal freshness, maybe mint, some floral notes and delicate oak spice. Underneath all of this there is caramel, vanilla and a touch of nuttiness. Multilayered, full-bodied and powerful but smooth.
Palate: Very creamy even oily and thick on the palate with notes of apricots, red apples, dark honey and slightly bitter orange peel. This is immediately followed by pleasant and warm spice, white pepper, cinnamon, and toasted oak. Gentle tones of ginger emerge with lingering toffee and malty biscuits. Rich and pleasantly mouthfilling.
Finish: A long and warm finish with lingering fruit and sticky honey, filled with pleasant oak tannins and allspice. Delicately smooth with a dry aftertaste.
With water: There's more malted barley and toffee on the nose with succulent apricots, creamy toffee and a decreased amount of spice on the palate, resulting in a warm but shortened finish.
Comments: What a wonderful revelation. This Tullibardine is a brilliant dram - rich, complex and creamy with delicate fruit, malty flavours and lingering spice. Multilayered, well-balanced, and extraordinary savoury. A big hit for me!

 

I thank the German importer Whiskymax for sample and photograph!

Colour: Deep gold.
Nose: A beautiful nose with a delicious fruity aroma of physalis and banana, along with a whiff of citrus notes. Oily and sweet with lots of vanilla, sugar candy, and orange blossom honey complemented by subtle cacao. There's allspice and oaky flavours coming through as well. Subtle aromas, soft and surprisingly fresh on the nose. Very delicate.
Palate: A luscious sweet start of blossom honey and lots of vanilla creme, before a load of spice take the upper hand with pepper, allspice and a touch of ginger and oak. Above all there's this delicate and smooth fruitiness with orange and yellow plums. Soft but rich on the palate, mouthfilling.
Finish: A medium to long and warm finish. There's a nice mix of fruity sweetness and oak spice, along with lingering malted barley and oatmeal flavours. Delicately smooth with a dry aftertaste.
With water: There's more freshness on the nose with succulent yellow fruit, especially pineapple and banana on the palate, whereas spicy notes take a back seat. The finish again is long, warm and prickling with crispy spice and delicate cracked black pepper. Very pleasant.
Comments: This is a rich, malty, honeysweet dram with lots of delicate fruit and complemented spice. Not the most complex malt but very well-balanced with a great texture. A smooth, delicate and most enjoyable dram with a great value for the money.

 

I thank Thorsten Manus, Whiskymax and Tullibardine Distillery for sample and photo.

Colour: Deep gold.
Nose: The nose starts off with a hint of flowery flavours, complemented by a note of tropical fruit, melon, grapefruit, mixed with yellow ripe apples and toffee. Needs time to develop its full aroma and there's also some brown sugar and oak spice behind the fruit. Very delicate.
Palate: A soft and creamy start on the palate. Luscious sweetness with lots of tropical fruit, melon, pineapple, along with delicate nutty flavours. Then lots of spice take over with cinnamon and a whiff of pepper, which lateron is displaced by lingering vanilla and a touch of sweet sherry. Nicely mouth-coating, and well-balanced.
Finish: A medium to long, fruity and warm finish. Stays sweet in the end with lingering spice.
With water: There's more tropical fruit on the nose, intense and vibrant with lingering vanilla. It's less spicy on the palate with almost no change in the fruity sweetness. Very pleasant.
Comments: This is a very well-balanced whisky. A delicious dram and a good value for the money. The interplay of sweetness, fruitiness and spiciness is extraordinary resulting in a pleasant mouthfeel. All three Tullibardine finishes are very well made and delicious. Well done!

 

I thank Thorsten Manus, Whiskymax and Tullibardine Distillery for sample and photo.

Colour: Reddish gold (ruby).
Nose: The nose starts off with red berry fruit, raspberry and red apples with underlying tropical fruits, like banana, melon and also apricots. The alcohol is present and not yet fully integrated but allows vanilla, honey and butterscotch to come through, along with a touch of chocolate. The fruity nose is complemented by sensible oak spices.
Palate: A smooth and creamy start on the palate. A subtle taste of ripe red fruits, red apples, plums, and delicate honey, along with slightly bitter orange zest. Midpalate there's a significant amount of oak spice coming through with nutmeg and a whiff of marzipan. Nicely mouth-coating.
Finish: A medium to long, fruity and warm finish. Gets drier in the end with beautiful allspice and sticky plum marmalade.
With water: There's less fruit but significant more spice on nose and palate. The finish is shorter with a superb balance of fruit and spice.
Comments: This is a spiced whisky with a creamy richness. Very enjoyable neat. The red burgundy influence is obvious but nicely balanced by the bourbon casks. Needs time to develop its full aroma. A delicious dram and a good value for the money. It's difficult to prefer the 225 Sauternes Finish to the 228 Burgundy Finish. Both are well-balanced with delicate spice and a nicely enjoyable fruitiness, with the latter being different. If I had to choose between them, I would take both.

I thank Thorsten Manus, Whiskymax and Tullibardine Distillery for sample and photo.

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: The influence of the sauternes casks is immediately apparent, with exotic fruit - pineapple, honeydew melon, peach, banana - lemon peel and ripe gooseberry, with underlying honey and a hint of vanilla. There's also some cereal notes and lingering buttery flavours (butterscotch) in there which makes it nicely creamy.
Palate: Starts quite sweet, fruity and smooth before prickling spices take over and coat your mouth pleasantly. There's butterscotch, vanilla and citrus fruit complemented by bitter orange peel, luscious marzipan, a whiff of dark chocolate and a potpourri of enjoyable spices.
Finish: Slightly fruity with a medium to long, warm and dry finish.
With water: There's more fruit on the nose but less on the palate complemented by a slightly decreased spicy finish.
Comments: A lovely whisky with an impressive balance of fruit and spice. Very enjoyable neat, even more once it opened up for about 30 minutes. A quaffable all day dram.

I thank Thorsten Manus, Whiskymax and Tullibardine Distillery for sample and photo.

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Floral on the nose with fresh cereal notes. Lingering citrus flavours emerge with delicate vanilla custard and a hint of white chocolate. With time butterscotch and fudge are coming through with a touch of mineral notes. Slightly creamy and deliciously fragrant on the nose.
Palate: A hesitant sweet start on the palate with floral notes of hey and some malted barley. Soft and fresh at first. Then a lot of oak spices and pepper emerge, complemented by bitter orange peel with a hint of cinnamon and marzipan.
Finish: Medium long finish. The floral notes are brought forward, long with vanilla creme, a queeze of lemon and warm spice. Lingering bitter chocolate and cocoa in the end with a touch of nuttiness.
With water: There's more floral notes on the nose with hey and barley, lingering vanilla with less citrus flavours. On the palate, oranges and vanilla custard are present, complemented by spicy notes, a hint of pepper and cinnamon. Very mouth-watering. The finish is still warm and medium long, sweet with less floral notes.
Comments: A flowery entry level whisky of Tullibardine with an excellent value for money. Definitely more than just an easy drinking dram. A pleasant, fresh and well made spirit, with a delicate balance of spice and floral notes, leading to a significant depth of this whisky.

I thank the German importer Whiskymax for sample and photograph!

Colour: Mahogany.
Nose: Rich and quite powerful. Intense sherried flavours with lots of rum soaked cherries, plums, dates and raisins with underlying notes of Demerara sugar. Behind this, notes of toasted bread and fruit (maybe apricot) develop followed by a delicate touch of sour red currant and creamy balsamic vinegar before the sherry and rum flavours take over again.
Palate: Boy, this is very powerful, intense, and thick on the palate. Very sweet with dark ripe fruit soaked in rum and coated with dark bitter chocolate. The oak appears with gentle spice and a whiff of damped wood, and a slightly bitterness develops. This one coats your mouth and sticks on your tongue for hours.
Finish: The finish is very long, warm and sweet. Gets drier in the end with a lingering nuttiness and bitter orange peal along with oak spice.
With water: The sweetness persists with a mix of ripe dark and red sour cherries. There's increased spiciness, white pepper, subtle marzipan and nutty tones. Additionally, sherrywood tannins become apparent.
Comments: This is a powerful, rich and intensely sherried whisky. Well-balanced with sherry, fruit and oaky tannins. The alcohol is always present but well integrated. A very enjoyable dram I could endlessly sip by a fire.