Tullibardine Trio - The Marquess Collection

20/02/2024

Tullibardine distillery is a Scottish distillery, producing single malt whiskies. It's located in Blackford, Perth and Kinross, close to the Ochil Hills and the Danny Burn, their main water sources. Tullibardine's history of brewing and distilling dates back to 1488, when King James IV of Scotland stopped by the site, a brewery at the time, to purchase beer. This was recorded as the first public purchase of beer in Scotland. In 1947 William Delme-Evans, distillery manager visited the same spot and found that the mineral rich character and purity of the water from nearby springs situated in Perthshire's Ochil Hills was perfect for distillation. They started distilling whisky in 1949. The distillery was mothballed in 1995 by then owner Whyte & Mackay. In 2003, it was sold to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd, who resumed production. In 2011, the distillery was sold to the French firm Picard Vins & Spiritueux. This firm in 2013 created an entity for the spirits named Terroirs Distillers. The distillery produces a variety of single malts. Their core range consists of the Sovereign, 225 Sauternes Finish, 228 Burgundy Finish, 500 Sherry Cask Finish and the 15-20-25 year old bottlings. They also have several Distillery Editions that you can pick up during your visit and the Marquess Collection.


In today's post I will be reviewing three bottles, well samples from the Marquess collection. The Murray Moscatel finish whisky.de edition, Double Wood Bourbon & Sherry finish and the Triple Wood Moscatel & White Port & Sauternes finish Whisky.de edition. I will be reviewing them in the order of my preference so the first whisky will be my highest rated of the bunch.

My samples & flavour wheel
My samples & flavour wheel

Tullibardine Triple Wood Moscatel & White Port & Sauternes finish Whisky.de edition 2007/2023 15 year old -Non-chill filtered, 46%

"This Tullibardine was bottled exclusively for Whisky.de's 30th anniversary and received a finish in a combination of three types of casks. It was finished in Moscatel, White Port and Sauternes casks. The limited edition was named after Sir William Murray, the second Marquess of Tullibardine, who fought for the Jacobites in the Battle of Sheriffmuir on the Ochil Hills above the Tullibardine distillery on 13 November 1715, and was distilled back in 2007."

Nose: Very bright. Green apples with freshly picked pears. A hint of citrus. A beautiful cavalcade of dried fruits such as figs and dates. A very nice and strong malty base which I really like in every Tullibardine. A hint of toffee and toasted oak. White pepper, fresh grass.

Taste: Nice body, medium oiliness and a nice deep complexity. Orchard fruits, lots of green apples. Figs, dates, raisins. Fresh toast with nut cream. Grapes. Very spicy. A good amount of oak and pepper.

Finish: Long finish, very spicy and very herbal. Dry but also sweet at the same time. Exceptional.

For me this bottle was the winner out of the three I've tasted. It has a a good amount of complexity, oak and sweetness. In my opinion this is in balance and it's a very good drinking whisky. I would definitely recommend this if you can purchase it, for 59,9 € it's a steal. 87 / 100


Tullibardine The Murray Double Wood 1st Fill Bourbon & 1st Fill Sherry Finish 2005/2020 15 year old - Non-chill filtered, 46%

"Distilled in 2005 and expertly crafted at our Perthshire distillery, the Murray Double Wood is aged in first-fill bourbon casks before being transferred into first-fill sherry casks for a second period of maturation. Expertly crafted at our Perthshire distillery, The Murray Double Wood is aged in first-fill Bourbon casks before being transferred into first-fill sherry casks for a second period of maturation."

Nose: A malty base yet again, albeit not as strong as in the previous expression. Honey and sugary sweetness. Apple pie with vanilla cream and cinnamon. Milk chocolate and a nice amount of oak. Dried figs, prunes, dates and raisins.

Taste: Medium to heavy body with a little oiliness. Very juicy and fruity. Oatmeal, ice cream and toast with butter. The dried fruits I mentioned in the nose section are very prominent here in the taste, they are leading the assault so to say. Espresso, dark chocolate and Christmas spices. Very nutty.

Finish: Smooth and long finish. Spicy and oaky but not overwhelmingly so. Sherry flavours and chocolate. It's very pleasant.

Perhaps not as good as the first one but still an amazing bottling nevertheless. What's great about this is that this is a 1st Fill Sherry finish but we don't have that overly dark color and that sticky sherry taste that I hate lately. This walks on a fine line between the distillery character and the cask influence. This is how whisky should be made. If you can go ahead and try it. I am not sure if it's easy to find since it has been on the market since 2020. 85 / 100


Tullibardine The Murray Moscatel Cask finish 2008/2023 15 year old whisky.de exclusive - Non-chill filtered, 46%

"This Tullibardine from 2008 was bottled exclusively for Whisky.de's 30th anniversary and matured in Moscatel casks. The Single Malt was bottled at a slightly higher strength of 46% vol."

Nose: Caramel, toffee and vanilla. Dried figs and sultanas. Floral accents and a big amount of oak. There is a quite strong nuttiness with black pepper and various spices. Ginger.

Taste: Medium body, not oily at all. Smooth and spicy at the same time. Floral hints and honey. Sweetness from the dried figs. Black pepper and oak spices. Very spicy and powerful. I know I said it is smooth and it is at the beggining of the sip. By the end it gets a bit rough. Not great but not terrible.

Finish: Short to medium. Spicy and oaky. Missing the body and complexity. Flavours are gone quite quickly. I expected better. Roasted coffee and nuts with a hint of coconut with herbal spices.

This bottling is not as great. I wouldn't say that you have to try it. It doesn't do you harm if you try it but definitely a forgettable experience by a mile. Overall this whisky is lacking body and complexity and it gets a bit rough even though it's only 46%. I would say it's not worth the 59,9 € asking price. 82 / 100

My flavour wheel of the 3 bottles
My flavour wheel of the 3 bottles

Here you can see my flavour wheel of the three whiskies I just reviewed. As you can see there is not a huge difference in their flavour profile. Maybe it's because the distillery character is very strong and prominent and the little variations are by the casks they have used to refine them. All in all this was a nice tasting and I stand by the fact that I love Tullibardine. The only thing that bothers me is that they don't disclose if their whiskies are natural color or not. However most of the time they tell us that the whisky is non-chill filtered, which is the important part honestly. If you have the chance to try these bottlings I encourage that you do. I enjoyed them very much.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.