Tamnavulin

[Iain]

I was delighted to read in #66 that Tamnavulin has re-opened.

I still think it produces a much-underrated dram (and I don't care how many of you folks disagree ).

And it's in a splendid location.

And it provides more jobs in an area that has suffered a few nasty knocks to the local economy over recent years.

The whisky world needs all 3 Glenlivets

[Reggaeblues]

Yes, I was given a bottle of the OB 12 4 christmasses ago. I remember it as a very pleasant, delicate dram. Quite special of it's kind I would say - very different from its better known neighbours.

[lambda]

That's good news indeed. I just finished the OB 12 a few days ago. It has this maltyness that reminds me of Littlemill, which is maybe a bit 'difficult'. But it sure has character compared to the average speysider.

[lincoln imp]

I dont know if you are aware but, apparantly the 12 year single malt for sale in Lidl stores is actually Tamnavulin by another name. I remember reading an article that Lidl stores purchased a large number of barrels in the 90,s from the distillery. It sells for about £15 in the uk.

[Reggaeblues]

Yes, Ben Bracken. i was given a bottle and damn fine it was! but it didn't remind me of my Tamnavulin 12 from a couple years before...and if they are the same whisky, well jim murray didn't know it! He rates them both very differently...and the Lidl version somewhat higher as i recall!! 79 to 88.

actually in the 07 bible he scores BB 88 still, tho' the individual scores add up to...79!! Wierd or what?

[Iain]

From memory of a Tamnavulin OB from many years ago, the Ben Bracken seemed a little heavier/less delicate. But that's a distant memory.

I thought the BB was easy drinking and a bargain at the price (it's still just a few pence short of £15 in Lidl).

[martynjenkins]

Just seen this
At one point for me Tamnavulin were just another distillery, I'd bought a bottle when it was on offer in the local supermarket.
On one of my cycling trips around Scotland, I passed the distillery just after it had re-opened last year - but it was very unfriendly to visitors - and anyway I had to press on to Glenlivet.
I'd just bought a bottle of CC Tamnavulin from the Whisky Castle.
After that I dug out the old bottle of Tamnavulin and was amazed to discover that it reminded me so much of some of the good bottles of Littlemill I'd been able to get hold of - all of them idependent bottlings from Signatory and Gordon McPhail - so when I found that Vintage House still had stock left, I bought three bottles of the 12yo.
Time to open one of those bottles.
Nose is promising, definitely reminiscent of Littlemill...
As is the taste
Be interesting to see what happens with further releases from whatever stock they have left...

[mikeymad]

hmmm, I didn't even think of them as one of the fallin' ones, but I was not very aware of much in 1995.

Anyway I have had a bottle (sealed) for a while:

Tamnavulin 24yo 1978 ( 55.1%, Signatory, 11.3.78-1.31.03 cask 8066 119/252 )

But I have still have not had anything (open) from this distillery yet.

So I am glad to hear that they will be back (even though I didn't know they were gone )

I show them as being - JBB (Whyte & Mackay), is this still true?

Cheers,

[Elagabalus]

How does Tamnavulin compare to Caol Ila?

[Iain]

How does Tamnavulin compare to Caol Ila?

It is like Hamlet to Carmen.

[Reggaeblues]

Oceans to fields...bananas to onions, etc...

[Iain]

well jim murray didn't know it! He rates them both very differently...and the Lidl version somewhat higher as i recall!! 79 to 88.

actually in the 07 bible he scores BB 88 still, tho' the individual scores add up to...79!! Wierd or what?

Strange to tell, there are clearly many things that JM doesn't know! We are all human (even though he may deny such restrictions personally...)

[Reggaeblues]

Well, he can't deny he can't add!! I revisited the 2007 bible just now, and his scores for Ben Bracken are: 20,20, 19,20 = 88!!

and 79 was the score given to Tamnavulin!! Like I said - spooky! nonetheless, I'm not convinced that Ben Bracken was Tamnavulin, but it's been a long time since I had either.

what I wonder about JM is how many whiskies has he perhaps NOT appreciated or scored appropriately because he only tasted/visitted them once, when surely even his palate is not perfect everytime. Even he , surely, has found whiskies to often taste different/better day to day?

Go read his review of the IMO quite outstanding Lagavulin 21 last year. If he hadn;t "revisited" that one, he's have scored it low 80s, whereas, when he gave it its deserved 2nd visit, it scored a conservative(IMVHO!!) 96!!

Perhaps he should stop playing the "numbers" game("60,000 new whiskies tasted!"-Only joking...)And give fewer whiskies more time.

but what do I know? Overall I find his work useful, formative, often entertaining, and, hey, I don;t always agree with him! I loved the old Bowmore Darkest - he hated it! And I'll probably buy this year's Bible!

But I'd welcome an explanation from him about "the Lagavulin 21 effect", and why he chose to revisit it, and whether he feels other scores would differ were he to revisit every whisky.

c'mon Jimbo! We're listening...

[Whisky1978]

That's good news indeed. I just finished the OB 12 a few days ago. It has this maltyness that reminds me of Littlemill, which is maybe a bit 'difficult'. But it sure has character compared to the average speysider.

I agree with lambda there a resemblance between the malty taste from Tamnavulin and the littlemill. I recently finished a signature littlemill 16Y and Tamnavulin 12y they share the same malty taste only the littlemill is les malty and has more complexity and is fresher.