A quick note before anything else. This week, five of my LMDW Artist Series reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge and without any pesky strings attached; this message precedes each of those reviews. As ever, I am unsure if that led me to grade harder or easier, but I prefer ant entanglements to be upfront. For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Whisky: Tamdhu 16 Year (2006), LMDW Artist #13 Cask 6659

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 60.6%

Cask: Sherry Butt

Age: 16 Years (Distilled 2006, Bottled 2023)

Nose: Fruits and milk chocolate, white chocolate, berries, hints of balsamic and coffee, oak.

Palate: Full-bodied, very sherry, berries and orchard fruits, herbal spice, more chocolate and oak, cigar boxes and tobacco toward the end.

Finish: Medium to long with dried fruits, caramel, and tobacco pipe.

Score: 7 (82)

Mental Image: Jam Making 201: Advanced Methodologies

Narrative & Notes: The aroma opened on a startling bouquet of fruits covered in chocolate and white chocolate— cocoa butter and milk chocolate covered strawberries, apples, and pears.  Hints of balsamic and raspberry teased around the edges as more bittersweet chocolate, old coffee tins, and oak pushed in. Full-bodied and weighty on the palate— a giant comforting blanket of sherry for the tongue. Loads of dried berries and stewed orchard fruits, like sampling projects at a jam making class with hints of botanical and herbal spices added for a touch of originality— marjoram and rosemary, perhaps. More chocolate and oak arrived as herbal notes lingered and shifted toward cigar boxes and old tobacco pipes.  The finish was medium to long with dried fruits, caramel, and an old wooden tobacco pipe.

I am no connoisseur of heavily sherried malts, so take the whole review with a grain of salt if you are. My experience with Tamdhu has also been limited, but it has thus far felt like one of those distilleries whose malt pairs wonderfully with big casks. I thought the combination worked very well here. Lovely herbal distractions and savory elements came forward so that the whisky never felt one note— even if dried fruits and chocolate were dominant.

Overall, an above average sherry bomb.