Saltire Rare Malts Tamnavulin 15yo Cask #1975 & Saltire Rare Malts Dailuaine 14yo Cask #308852

Saltire Rare Malts Tamnavulin 15yo Cask #1975

Region: Speyside

ABV: 48.8%

Price: £95.00

Distilled on 2nd April 2009 and bottled on 3rd April 2024, this whisky was matured in a first-fill ex-Rhum Agricole cask. A total of 296 bottles were produced.

Nose

The nose opens with green banana skins, freshly sliced pineapple, caster sugar, sherbet, lemon bon bons, a little ginger juice and a little bit of an earthy, vegetal aroma in the background. We're also finding sawn wooden planks and a little pear flesh. There's a fairly spirituous note underpinning the dram, the casks haven't given too much to the whisky. The alcohol is fairly mellow here, and going back we're getting a little almond too.

Palate

The palate opens with some sponge cake, vanilla fondant, moving into dark chocolate nibs, roasted hazelnuts, with a clear vegetal note that sits on your palate throughout. The finish has a decent length, but has more of a raw spirit character than we'd like. The mouthfeel has some texture but it's a little thin for us. Going back after some time and air, we're finding that vegetal note amplifying, and we're starting to get some liquorice root and juniper.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more upfront citrus, the lemon is coming through more for us, alongside more of a freshly baked bread aroma. We're also getting walnuts, nutmeg and a little pear on the latter part of the nose.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has more of a custardy texture, but it still feels a little watery. There's mellow spice, coriander seed, a little ginger and some vanilla fondant. Some of those vegetal flavours have gone now and we're finding it a little more pleasant for our palates.

Conclusion

This may be the first ex-rhum agricole cask maturation we're tried, but unfortunately it doesn't work for us and our palates. There's a real vegetal funk throughout the nose and palate that we're not big fans of. There's some pleasant, creamy notes to the whisky and some may enjoy the overall flavours and aromas more than us.

Score: 5.5/10

Value

At £95 we would have liked to have seen this released at cask strength.

Saltire Rare Malts Dailuaine 14yo Cask #308852

Region: Speyside

ABV: 57.7%

Price: £85.00

Distilled on 14th July 2010 and bottled on 15th July 2024, this whisky was matured in a first-fill bourbon hogshead. A total of 246 bottles were produced.

Nose

The nose opens with fresh pink lady apples, heaps of vanilla sweetness, pear drops, caramel drizzle sauce, toffee bon bons and a sprig of mint in the background. Air brings out more buttery aromas, freshly made tablet, runny honey, and flapjacks. The alcohol is present but not overpowering, lending a nice body to the whisky.

Palate

The palate has lots of upfront apple, toffee apple mainly, moving into golden syrup oats, fresh lime leaves, chocolate sauce and a little bit of bitter oak on the finish. It's a warming dram, the alcohol coming through more than expected, with some black pepper tingling the tongue. The mouthfeel is syrupy, but a little thinner than we would have expected from the thick, punchy nose. Going back, we're finding vanilla cream wafers and a handful of bitter cocoa nibs.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more fruit up front, the apples have gone from pink ladies to granny smith, with a little more sourness (in a pleasant way). We're also getting the same fudgey, caramel and vanilla notes in the background.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has a bit more texture which is nice, and following in the footsteps of the reduced nose, we're getting more fresh, crisp green apple and fudge blondies. There's less spice and more upfront sweetness, we'd say this definitely benefits from a splash of water. The spice manifests as more of a spritzy acidity than peppery tingle now.

Conclusion

A pretty solid first fill bourbon Speysider. Lots of the classic vanilla and toffee alongside the fruitiness from the Dailuaine spirit. The palate isn't as viscous as we'd like, and it's a touch too bitter on the finish, but overall we'd happily have another dram.

Score: 6.5/10

Value

It's a few pounds more than we’d have like to have paid, but we don’t think it’s a bad price for a new small independent bottler.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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