All aboard the train to Tamdhu Dalbeallie Station!
The Dalbeallie release by Tamdhu is meant to honour the quaint little train station next to the distillery, now one of the landmarks on this section of the Speyside Way. I first tasted the Dalbeallie expression in 2019, when only the second release came out for the Spirit of Speyside Festival. A batch of only 1000 bottles has been released every year since the first instalment in 2018. Maybe it was the magic of tasting it inside Dalbeallie Station, and doing a tour of the distillery straight after, that made me collect all subsequent bottles AND hunt down the first release. I never regretted it. Recently, I added bottled number 9 to the collection, and thanks to sharing, I could afford a second bottle to crack open. My notes you will find below. When shipping the bottles, the team added a sample of the Tamdhu 15 years old to my pack. It has been a while since I tasted this modern classic. For me, it was the one that got me into Tamdhu as a brand to look out for. We warm up with that expression.
Tamdhu 15 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: Version of approximately 2024/2025. Sherry oak casks.
Upon Sipping: Lovely, woodland fresh nose, like walking through a pine forest where the rain has just dusted off the trees. Beautifully balanced shery notes, absolutely masterful. Lots of raisins, dark chocolate and thoroughly polished antiques. Makes me want to sit down and smoke a cigar while reading the evening paper. On actual paper, with the ink making the fingers black. The palate does not entirely live up to the promise of the nose, but there is a lot to enjoy anyway. Maybe a tad less fruity than expected, but with beautiful pure chocolate notes and further down the line still some dark cherries. With water, the nose remains more or less the same. On the palate some more wood, that is felt even better on the finish. It does not need it, but both diluted and undiluted this Tamdhu delivers.
Word to the Wise: Classic sherried single malt. Classic Speyside whisky. With the 15 years old Tamdhu delivers one of the undisputed greatest bottlings to come out of the region. It also shows the starting point of the even better 18 years old and the superb 21 years old, which also underlines why these extra years in the cask count for something.
Score: 87 points.
Tamdhu Dalbeallie Collector’s Journey 09, bottled at 60,5 % abv
First things first: Matured in first fill European oak Oloroso sherry. 1000 bottles only for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2026. Beautiful packaging in a station clock layout.
Upon Sipping: The most recent expression we tasted was the 06, tasted here. We loved that one. How does this 09 deliver? Well, it is obviously more difficult to nose than the friendly 15 years old, due to the high alcohol content. But the smells are in line with that more standard bottling, but this Dalbeallie 09 seems to give off a tad more fruit. First a sip, then water. Oh yes, the wood impact seems much heavier on this expression compared to the 15. Loads and loads of chocolate, bitter herbs and a stoic austerity. Easy to drink at full strength. With water, the nose creeps closer to the 15 years old, with woodland aroma and blocks of firewood ready to be used. Some very dark fruits come out, dades, plum, the insides of an old Cairngorm mountains bothy. Truly romantic! Some ginger, some honey, but all in moderation. The water washed away some dry character from this Dalbeallie 09, which is pleasant. Less herbal, more spicy, if we keep comparing. With enough time to breathe, you will get more exotic notes, like chocolate covered banana pieces. This stuff does take its time to open up, but when you get there with all your patience, it will be rewarding!
Word to the Wise: Another very strong Dalbeallie release, where the work really has to be put in to uncover the deeper layers. If you have the patience for it, this is such a satisfying bottling, for a long night with a good book or staring into the fireplace.
Score: 89 points.