Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish

Not only was this the final sample I had remaining from our last round of group samples, I also decided to do a little comparison with another burgundy wine finished whisky from another friend: the Springbank 12 Burgundy Cask. It only took a small sip to realize that was a bad idea so I abandoned the comparison and decided to let them both speak for themselves. First up, the Tullibardine 228 Burgundy finish. This one comes in at 43% ABV and is a beautiful pinkish-gold in the taster. Spinning it reveals quick forming water droplets and skinny legs. Plenty of water used to bring down the percentage- I hope it doesn’t dull the flavor. The nose was heavily oak and alcohol astringency in the beginning. I had to let this one breathe for over a half an hour before the more subtle notes appeared. When they did it was mostly ripened berries and vanilla. The oak had really faded into the background and that was a welcome experience. It was way too overpowering in the beginning. Patience on the nose is very necessary. The palate arrives with a peppery, oak blast but by mid sip it has settled down nicely and the mild, fruitiness takes over: pears, strawberries and green grapes. The vanilla notes usher in the finish. The finish is where this one shows its flaws. It’s especially hot for a 43 percenter. Black pepper, oak and clove that go down a tad hard. This is not only evidence of the base whisky’s youth but probably the shorter finishing time in the wine cask. It doesn’t ruin the overall experience, but it definitely makes me want to dock it’s total score considerably. It should finish much better than it does. Thanks again to @Generously_Paul for offering up this one for the group. It’s a fantastic nosing whisky that just falls on its face towards the end. 3.5 stars seems about right to me. Cheers.

The burgundy finish really adds a nice rich finish to this one, which I got to sample through @Generously_Paul as part our little trading team. I don’t think I ever even heard of this distillery; I’m sure I passed it by a dozen times in the store and always overlooked it thinking it’s some obscure blend. The wine finish in this case adds a layer of red berry richness to the sweet dough backbone. Almost like a red velvet cake. Not sure what the price is, but I’d be willing to fork over $50-60 for this.

Stop number 60 on the SDT is Tullibardine. This is one of the lesser known Highland distilleries. They struggled through ownership changes several decades ago and was mothballed for a while, but they are making a comeback as of late. This is a NAS expression. The 228 designation is in reference to the burgundy casks used for the finishing. They are 228 liters in size. Bottled at 43% ABV, it is most likely chill filtered. The color is a beautiful dark copper or ruby as they describe it. I want to believe this is natural color derived from the roughly 12 months spent in those burgundy wine casks, but I have no info either way. The nose is full of big fruity red wine notes. A strong oaky presence with vanilla and buttercream. Lots of different fruits. Red grapes, cherries, plums, apples, pears, apricots, strawberries and raisins. Trust me, they are all there, like a huge fruit salad. As my wife said when I had her smell it, “It’s like someone took grapes and cherries and shoved them up my nose”. She has a way with words. A sherry like sweetness. More oak with ginger, caramel, licorice and a light minty/menthol note. Milk chocolate, cocoa powder, some honey and malted barley. After some time grapefruit and oranges appear with a generic nuttiness. The vanilla and chocolate come back around. I love these heavily wine influenced scotches. The palate starts oak heavy with some pepper up front. The burgundy casks really take over and shine through with strong fruity notes. Oranges, grapefruit, pears and plums. More wood spice and oak. It dries the mouth like a good red wine. Some bitter tannins but nothing too unpleasant. Walnuts, cinnamon, toffee and brown sugar. Finally, milk chocolate and some caramel. Quite tasty. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry and mouth coating. The finish is medium long, dry, oaky, fruity, chocolatey with a pinch of spice and slightly bitter. I absolutely loved the nose on this one. It’s very sweet, but the spice helps to balance it a little. It’s more of a dessert dram than not, but I could grab this one any time and get lost in it. The burgundy casks work wonders here and I suspect they are first fill. I haven’t had anything else from Tullibardine, so I have no reference when it comes to distillery character vs cask influence, but I suspect most of what I am getting here is the wine finishing. I bought this bottle for $64 and I feel that’s a pretty good value for money. It might be too sweet for others, but it’s just right for me. 4.25 Cheers

Finishing the night with a scotch provided from @Generously_Paul as part of our Scotch Distillery Tour. Floral and fruity nose. Honeysuckle, red fruit: apples, raspberry, cherries. A cream soda note comes through after a good long breathe. “Soft and light, clean and bright” played through my head while sipping. Vanilla cream sweetness with Gala apples, nutmeg and a touch of orange zest. A short finish with cinnamon zing and oak dryness. A glimpse of maraschino cherries. A nice, simple, clean whisky. Inoffensive, straight-forward easy whisky. [85/100][Tasted: 12/26/17] ———————————- Whisky on the Hudson 9/18/2014 : Very similar to the 225 sibling, however this was sweeter on the palate. I preferred this over the Tullibardine 225.

I may be shunned for saying this, but I actually prefer the Glenmorangie Lasanta over this offering. Please hear me out on why though first. I like a nice deep flavor, and a higher ABV. This one is 43, and the Lasanta is 46. The burgundy-like qualities are also more in your face with something like the Springbank 12 Burgundy Cask. Getting back to this dram, it's subtle, but nice. Light fruit, cream, white chocolate, are on the nose/palate, but you probably see the pattern here. Short to medium finish, and I wish I could appreciate the "delicateness" a bit more. It's still a pretty good quality dram, don't get me wrong. 3.5 and thanks to Paul for the generous sample. I will try another Tullibardine at some point, with maybe a higher ABV, since I do see a ton of potential. The theme of this dram should be one that your father enjoys.