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Release Notes
Tullibardine 500 Sherry Cask Finish is matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels before spending time in 500 litre Oloroso sherry butts to give it a rich sherried finish.
The deep, nutty brown colour comes from the time spent in the sherry casks as well as lots of the aromas and flavours you’d expect. On the nose there’s intense toffee apple notes with a hint of oatmeal. These notes combine with a spicy, viscous mouthfeel and more Christmas spices on the palate, before ending with sweet dates and a peppery finish
The deep, nutty brown colour comes from the time spent in the sherry casks as well as lots of the aromas and flavours you’d expect. On the nose there’s intense toffee apple notes with a hint of oatmeal. These notes combine with a spicy, viscous mouthfeel and more Christmas spices on the palate, before ending with sweet dates and a peppery finish
Tullibardine
The Distillery: Tullibardine
| Established: 1949 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Stirling St, Blackford, Auchterarder, Perthshire PH4 1QG, UK |
| → website |
In the new Millenium
Pictures show that Tullibardine isn"t the most "picturesque" distillery in Scotland. In fact, it may seem a bit run down - but it"s actually one of the younger Scottish distilleries. It was founded in 1949 by the architect William Delmé-Evans and C. I. Barrett. In 1953 the Tullibardine distillery was sold on to Brodie Hepburn Ltd. - whisky brokers from Glasgow.
I have to admit that the type of whisky they made in the old days wasn"t really to my liking. Most Tullibardines I tried in the late 1990"s and early noughties had an oily "cod oil" trait that I"m mentally allergic to. Some of the finishes managed to mask most of the oil, enhancing my personal enjoyment.
Tullibardine released three different finished "Vintage 1993" bottlings in 2005 (a marsala finish, a muscatel finish and a port finish) and a further five finishes in 2007.
In fact, after production resumed in December 2003 they only produced at "Disney" levels for some time. When Invergordon rebuilt Tullibardine in 1973/"74 they increased the number of stills from two to four, but now only one of the pairs of stills was being used - and only part time.
However, these days they have expanded the work week from five to seven days and they hoped to produce 2,000,000 litres in 2008. Just like Edradour and Glenmorangie they"ve jumped on the finishing bandwagon - and it seems to serve the spirit well. It also allows the new owners to "shape" the whiskies. After all, all the current stocks were made by previous owners.
Brodie Hepburn were themselves bought by Invergordon two decades later in 1971. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay (subsidiaries of Fortune Brands) gobbled up Invergordon. Whyte & Mackay changed their name JBB (Greater Europe) in 1996, before they decided to change their name to Kyndal in 2001.
Confused already? well, I"m not quite finished yet, I"m afraid... In 2003 the people of Kyndal decided they actually liked the name "Whyte & Mackay" better. Meanwhile, the Tullibardine distillery had already been mothballed in January 1995, when Whyte & Mackay was still called... erm... Whyte & Mackay. Around the time Kyndal switched back to the name Whyte & Mackay again, they had just sold Tullibardine to Tullibardine Distillery Ltd. for (allegedly) 1,100,000 GBP. That seems like a friendly price, given the impressive production capacity at Tullibardine. But then again, in recent times they haven"t operated at full capacity.
Like other "relaunches" like Benriach and Bruichladdich, Tullibardine has released an overload of different bottlings lately. That makes most of their bottlings very limited releases by definition - and it"s hard to discover a "house style" within a portfolio.
But then again - perhaps "house styles" are gradually becoming a thing of the past anyway... When I discovered single malts in the 1990"s most other maltheads seemed interested in the category of whisky rather than specific "brands". That means that the general focus seemed to be on trying to discover as many different styles and distilleries as possible. Nowadays more and more blend drinkers are upgrading to single malts, and they"re already used to drinking "brands" rather than different types and styles of whisky. So, more and more distilleries are trying to provide as broad a range as possible. I have to admit I don"t mind too much; the classic regional styles and "house styles" have grown less important .
2001 - JBB (Greater Europe) suffers from a management buy-out and changes its name to Kyndal.
2003 - The Tullibardine distillery (which was mothballed in 1994 or "95) is purchased by a group of businessmen with experience in the whisky industry, including Michael Beamish and Doug Ross. After they acquired the Tullibardine distillery in June 2003, they managed to get production going again by December 2003.
2009 - Tullibardine joins early in the trend of releasing underage spirits with their Pure Pot Spirit from 2008.
Trivia:
- The first Tullibardines produced by the current owners will be released around 2014.
- The history of Tullibardine is rather similar to that of Tamnavulin. They were also founded failry recently (1966), have been owned by Invergordon / Whyte & Mackay / Kyndal and were mothballed around 1995. Both were recently ressurrected with the help of foreign capital.
- Tullibardine was a disused brewery when it was "discovered" by architect William Delmé-Evans.
from Malt Madness
The Owner: Terrorirs Distillers
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Chassagne-Montrachet |
| → website |
Terroirs Distillers is a privately-held French subsidiary of Picard Vins & Spiritueux, which produces and markets a range of wines and spirits including Tullibardine single malt and the Highland Queen and Muirhead blended Scotch whiskies.
Members of the Picard family founded Picard Vins & Spiritueux in 1951 as a wine producer, though the company has since diversified into whisky, pastis, bitters, rhum agricole and eau de vie through Terroirs Distillers.
In 2015 it added Cognac to its portfolio, with the acquisition of Louis Royer from Suntory, which wished to dispose of the brand following its own acquisition of Beam in 2014, whose subsidiary Courvoisier also produces Cognac.
With the third generation of the Picard family at the helm, the group purchased Tullibardine distillery at Blackford in 2011 to supplement its growing Scotch whisky brands Highland Queen and Muirhead’s, which were purchased from the Glenmorangie Company in 2008.
Besides its Scotch interests, Terroirs Distillers also operates two distilleries and four bottling sites in France.
Members of the Picard family founded Picard Vins & Spiritueux in 1951 as a wine producer, though the company has since diversified into whisky, pastis, bitters, rhum agricole and eau de vie through Terroirs Distillers.
In 2015 it added Cognac to its portfolio, with the acquisition of Louis Royer from Suntory, which wished to dispose of the brand following its own acquisition of Beam in 2014, whose subsidiary Courvoisier also produces Cognac.
With the third generation of the Picard family at the helm, the group purchased Tullibardine distillery at Blackford in 2011 to supplement its growing Scotch whisky brands Highland Queen and Muirhead’s, which were purchased from the Glenmorangie Company in 2008.
Besides its Scotch interests, Terroirs Distillers also operates two distilleries and four bottling sites in France.
from ScotchWhisky.com
The Owner: Picard Vins & Spiritueux
| Established: 1951 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 71150 Chagny |
Picard Vins & Spiritueux SA produces and trades still and sparkling wines and spirits. It is based in Chassagne Montrachet, France and markets a wide range of wines produced on the company’s own land.
These include the prestigious Chassange Montrachet estate in Burgundy, along with parcels of vines in Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Corton, Mercurey, Givry, Rully and Montagny, amounting to a total of 135 hectares of vines on five estates.
Picard also makes French aperitifs, including Girard pastis, spirits such as Moyroud pear brandy, and Savannah rum, distilled on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
Picard is family-owned and has a presence in more than 50 countries, with three distilleries in France and Scotland and four bottling plants. As well as producing blended brands, the company is a major supplier of private label and third-party brands. Its Scotch-related assets, operated under the Terroirs Distillers subsidiary, are Tullibardine distillery and the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s blended Scotch whiskies, with the Muirhead name also being used in relation to a range of Speyside single malts.
The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise.The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir.The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years.
These include the prestigious Chassange Montrachet estate in Burgundy, along with parcels of vines in Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Corton, Mercurey, Givry, Rully and Montagny, amounting to a total of 135 hectares of vines on five estates.
Picard also makes French aperitifs, including Girard pastis, spirits such as Moyroud pear brandy, and Savannah rum, distilled on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion.
Picard is family-owned and has a presence in more than 50 countries, with three distilleries in France and Scotland and four bottling plants. As well as producing blended brands, the company is a major supplier of private label and third-party brands. Its Scotch-related assets, operated under the Terroirs Distillers subsidiary, are Tullibardine distillery and the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s blended Scotch whiskies, with the Muirhead name also being used in relation to a range of Speyside single malts.
The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise.The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir.The company was founded in 1951 by members of the Picard family with winemaking as its base, and the third generation is now at the helm of the significantly diversified enterprise. Picard’s first foray into Scotch whisky came with the acquisition of the Highland Queen and Muirhead’s brands from Glenmorangie in 2008. The Muirhead’s blend has its origins in Edinburgh’s port of Leith, with Charles Muirhead and Sons being established in 1824. Highland Queen was created in 1893, when Roderick Macdonald set up in business under the name of Macdonald and Muir. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years. Picard purchased a Scottish distillery in 2011, buying Tullibardine distillery at Blackford from a group of private investors who had brought the distillery back into production in 2003 after it had been mothballed for 10 years. Prior to its purchase of Tullibardine, Picard had sourced malt whisky from the distillery for the previous three years.
from ScotchWhisky.com