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Tullibardine Distillery

This is the second installment in a mini-series of reviews that showcases some of the latest releases by independent bottler, Dràm Mòr. In the previous review, I sampled a malt from Macduff and wrote of the brief involvement of architect, William Delmé-Evans, in the design of the distillery. Well, as it happens, the distillery featured this time around, was also designed by him. In fact, it was his first foray into the world of Scotch whisky.

Delmé-Evans was born in Wales in 1920. As a youngster, he spent many summers holidaying in Scotland where he developed a fascination for the country’s distilleries. As an adult, he became an agriculturulist and owned a farm but a bought of Tuberculosis badly affected his health, preventing him from active service during WWII and hindering his ability to manage the farm.

Whilst recovering from his illness, William renewed his interest in Scotch whisky and began to study the science and engineering of it all. Soon he had formed a plan to build his own distillery, and began the search for a suitable location. He found his spot when a friend alerted him to a brewery for sale in the village of Blackford, near Stirling. Work to convert the brewery was completed in 1949.

Sadly, William’s health problems soon returned but just as his fitness was deteriorating, Glasgow-based broker Brodie Hepburn came along and offered to buy Tullibardine. William jumped at the chance, relishing the opportunity for some further rest and recuperation. You can’t keep a good man down, however, and he was soon back in Scotland, working on the aforementioned Macduff, before leaving to oversee the building of Jura and then Glenallachie distilleries.

As for Tullibardine, it was taken over in 2011 by Picard Vins & Spiriteux who introduced a new core range that focused heavily on wine casks. Here, however, is a Dràm Mòr expression that brings a sherry finish to the party. The whisky is 8 years old and finished in Pedro Ximenez. It’s bottled at 53.7% ABV.

*Full disclosure: the sample featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

The Whisky

Smell: You expect lots of dried fruits from sherry casks but this was more like stewed fruits at first. Like fruits being prepared for crumble or something. Apple and rhubarb. Plum sauce. Now a wee note of currants. Dark chocolate. Mouldy dunnage warehouses. Ginger. Cinnamon. Malty. Almonds. Toffee biscuits. Some fresh lemon and apple, too.

Taste: The palate is less surprising with more of the sherry and spices you might expect. You get the PX right at the front but it shifts quite quickly into fruit jam and toffee biscuits. Bitter oak at the back and sides. Some gingery spice again. Some cloves. Black pepper. The spice develops into a really pleasing juicy oakiness on the finish.

Thoughts: Tullibardine strikes me as a bit of a blank canvas – a spirit that tends towards the lighter end of the spectrum but can adapt quite well to a range of different casks. That gives bottlers, independent or otherwise, plenty of scope to add some colour of their own. Dràm Mòr’s PX cask has done that very well, without venturing into typical PX cask territory. There’s some quirks there that make it stand out and for me, unusual is a good thing – especially where indie releases are concerned. Another really enjoyable dram.

Price: £73. A wee bit quirky but delicious with it. A very tempting prospect.

For more about Dràm Mòr visit here

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