Tamnavulin Double Cask

I'm uncertain if this is my initial experience with Tamnavulin, but I can say I haven't properly evaluated this distillery, which is part of "Emperador.Inc," the current owner of Whyte & Mackay. Their portfolio includes Dalmore, a standout brand, while others are typically less appealing to the mainstream. This review is for the Double Cask, their first official release in decades. It's finished in sherry casks and bottled at 40% ABV. The nose is rich with fruits and sweetness. Citrus, chocolate, grapefruit, gooseberries, and other fresh orchard fruits are present. The toffee note is extraordinary. On the palate, it's somewhat simple. Abundant toffee and gooseberries, with an acidic sensation akin to lemon peel. The aftertaste was unremarkable. Sawdust, typical oakiness, and a bitter new wood character. Overall, considering it's an inexpensive single malt from a rather mediocre distillery, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated based on the bottle's appearance, which isn't my style. An enjoyable drink with a disappointing, youthful finish. My rating is 79 out of 100.

Aroma: Toasted malt, cereal (like a granola bar), sweet, slightly wine-like, red fruits leaning towards strawberries, stewed plums, cherries, wet woodiness, light cinnamon, sweet orange citrus, and light alcohol. Palate: Matches the aroma well, appearing spicier and warmer on the palate. It has a slight bitterness, but very mild, leaving more room for woody, sweet, and red fruit notes. Finish: Short, dominated by alcohol warmth, light woodiness, and sweetness. You can perceive a residual of toasted cereals along with some of the spiciness noted on the palate. General Impressions: A good but simple whisky. It bears an interesting resemblance to Glenfiddich whiskies, though less refined. It's also a good value, as I've found it for under R$ 200.00. It can be enjoyed neat, but adding ice or a splash of water can mellow the perceived alcohol slightly.

Aroma: Faint, light scent of lemon and pear. Palate: Consistently lemon and pears, a very slight hint of sherry, always elusive. Finish: Short and slightly bitter. An inconsistent whisky, not bad, but it doesn't evoke much feeling. Rating 3.5

A rich Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Tamnavulin Distillery in Speyside, Scotland. It was initially aged in American oak barrels and then finished in ex-Sherry casks. It has a rich birth with notes of chocolate mousse with brown sugar, apples & blackberries; while a rich & spicy life adds notes of Christmas morning with pudding, chocolate brownies, toffee, & a hint of barley; that leads to a long & warming death. June 2019 / 2020 / July 2021 / September 2022

The aroma is bright, like a red apple. Taste: It has the sweetness of red apple, plus a hint of orange peel giving it a zesty kick. The texture feels thin. Initially, there's an alcohol burn at the end of each sip, but it fades with more sips and as the glass empties. It's a reasonable value for a decent scotch, which explains my slightly higher score. I'm scoring this based on drinking it neat.

This is the second time I'm tasting this this evening. The bottle is 4/5 full. The flavor is very subtle and not complex, in a negative way. Sharp alcohol taste and a burning sensation in the mouth from the alcohol. There's a faint hint of wood cask in the finish. The smell is overwhelmingly of alcohol. The nose feels the burn and gets tickled. I'd rate it between 2.25 and 2.5 stars.