Tamdhu 2014 7 Year

A friend gifted me an interesting release from Alexander Murray, a 40% ABV Tamdhu 7-year-old, which is a favorite malt of mine. This potential 'Macallan Killer' faces a challenge to impress me at a young age and low proof. This bottle isn't expensive, and I'm curious about its quality. This serves as a good trial for Tamdhu's spirit to prove its worth. On the nose, it begins as expected, with a Milky Way Chocolate aroma. Snickers, hazelnut, cookie dough. Dulce de leche. After the first sip, I detected some floral notes. Cigarettes, ash, and more chocolate. It smells like an ashtray. There's peat present. Nice. On the palate, it presents a rich chocolate profile. Vanilla and some sulfurous/metallic notes. It became very sweet on the second sip. Dulce de leche and toffee. The aftertaste is beautifully peated. Primarily Tobacco notes; hints of earthy peat and ash. Chocolate and hazelnut. Overall, this was quite surprising. For a 7-year-old dram at only 40% ABV, it's remarkably complex and very enjoyable. The characteristic Tamdhu Toffee/dulce de leche spirit is unmistakable, and the slight peatiness, often mentioned but not previously perceived by me, is very evident here, likely more pronounced in younger expressions. My rating for this very good whisky is 89 out of 100.

Smell: Intense oak is immediately apparent, followed by notes of caramel apple and preserved fruits. Sherry influence is present. Taste: Dark fruit flavors lead, with hints of vanilla and spice appearing as you drink. The finish has a slightly astringent oak character. As one of my initial experiences with Speyside malts, my frame of reference is limited. The immaturity is quite noticeable. Given its $40 price point at a specific large retailer, it presents as a respectable single malt. It surpasses Glenfiddich 12, in my opinion. I wouldn't repurchase it (primarily due to lack of convenient access), but it's a generally acceptable dram. Update: I haven't revisited this spirit since my initial tasting. However, with increased exposure to sherry-matured whiskies, I now classify this as a lower-tier option (subject to chill filtration, artificial coloring, and 40% alcohol). It's not terrible, but significantly inferior to other whiskies I've sampled.