Heading back to my favorite Speyside distillery, Tamdhu. I absolutely love what they are putting out these days, as well as their commitment to quality. Everything they release is natural color, and most is non chill filtered. Everything released under the official Tamdhu label is also 100% Oloroso sherry matured (I do believe they sell casks to independent bottlers that may not be Oloroso or even any type of sherry at all). So here we have the third installment of the Batch Strength series, Batch 003. Bottled at batch strength (duh) of 58.3% ABV and as previously stated, non chill filtered and natural color of dark copper. Intense and overpowering on the nose if you go in too quickly after pouring. Something this strong needs time to breathe. Dark red fruits, mostly cherries, await you after letting it settle down. Oak and cinnamon, warm and inviting sherry. Strong vanilla, some orange peel, raspberries, blackberries, raisins and brown sugar. A little mint here and there along with dark chocolate and hazelnut. A little more time in the glass yields rich toffee, caramel and even a little maple syrup. More oak followed by some licorice root. Marzipan and almond butter wind things down. A splash of water reveals fruitcake and more fruits like dried apricots and nectarines. Spice cake, more vanilla, fennel/licorice root. Chocolate licorice (if you’ve never had it then you have no idea what I’m talking about, but it was a childhood favorite of mine). Intense heat on the palate, but it burns so good. Sweet and savory sherry, oak, cherries and raisins. Some spice in the way of cinnamon and clove that transitions into Brazil nuts. Fresh pumpernickel bread...that’s a first for me. Mulled wine with blackberries and mulberries. Again that almond and marzipan from the nose, which is there and gone quite quickly. Water reduces the oaky presence as well as the heat and brings out dried apricots, chocolate sauce and more of the chocolate licorice...delicious. A full bodied mouthfeel that is hot, oily and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long with strong sherried oak, berries/cherries and vanilla. A very good batch indeed. Better than batch 001, but I think batch 002 tops this one ever so slightly. Intense flavors, as are all the Batch Strength bottles, which really drives home just how well made this whisky is. I don’t regularly smoke cigars, and pair them with whisky even less often, but a snifter of this scotch paired with a Don Diego was quite magical. If you enjoy cigars I would highly recommend it. I gave 002 a solid 4.5, but as far as 003 goes I’m going with a 4.25. Cheers