Tamdhu ready to take off into global market

Luxury Speyside single malt whisky Tamdhu has joined the world of global travel retail of in an exclusive partnership with Dufry.

Two Tamdhu single malt expressions, specially created for travel retail, are now available in World of Whiskies and selected World Duty Free stores in the UK.

The official launch of Tamdhu Ámbar 14 year old and Tamdhu Gran Reserva First Edition, took place in Edinburgh International Airport with members of the Dufry team and Tamdhu Distillery manager Sandy McIntyre who shared Tamdhu’s heritage with shoppers and signed bottles in store.

An artisanal Scotch malt whisky, Tamdhu dates back to 1897, the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, when the distillery was founded on the banks of the River Spey, taking water drawn from its own spring.

The following year, the founders secured their first shipment of sherry casks from Spain. Tamdhu Distillery continues that tradition today and matures its single malt exclusively in the finest European and American Oloroso sherry casks.

The travel retail exclusives, Tamdhu Ámbar and Tamdhu Gran Reserva celebrate the strong Spanish heritage of Tamdhu. Matured for 14 years in Oloroso casks in the cool shadows of the traditional dunnage warehouses, Tamdhu Ámbar (RRP – £69.99), which means amber in Spanish, takes on a brilliant amber colour and develops an exceptionally complex flavour.

While Tamdhu single malt exclusively matures in the finest Oloroso sherry casks, Tamdhu Gran Reserva First Edition (RRP – £149.99) goes further still. For this release, only the finest first fill Oloroso casks have been selected to give the whisky a rich mahogany colour and outstanding taste. This expression is bottled un-chill-filtered and will appeal to sherry wood connoisseurs with an eye for the exceptional.

Ian Macleod Distillers’ global travel retail director William Ovens said: ‘We are thrilled to introduce Tamdhu to the travel retail market and to celebrate the launch at Edinburgh International Airport.

David Robertson, Dufry Edinburgh store manager, left, and Sandy McIntyre, Tamdhu Distillery manager

‘We are equally delighted to be working in close and exclusive partnership with Dufry; the introduction of Tamdhu Ámbar and Tamdhu Gran Reserva is just the start of an exciting journey together. We look forward to consumers tasting this wonderfully complex sherry cask matured whisky.’

Dufry liquor category manager, Matthew Scott-Fairweather, says: ‘We are hugely excited to be working with Ian Macleod Distillers to launch Tamdhu, an iconic and luxurious Speyside single malt, in travel retail. The addition of Tamdhu to our portfolio is very exciting and we relish the opportunity to showcase it and share the Tamdhu experience with travellers and whisky enthusiasts.’

Ian Macleod Distillers is one of Scotland’s leading independent family owned distillers, blenders and bottlers. It was named Distiller of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky Awards 2018. Its GTR-focused core brand portfolio is rooted in single malt and blended Scotch whisky and gin, including Glengoyne Single Malt, Tamdhu Single Malt, Smokehead Single Malt, King Robert 11 blended whisky and Edinburgh Gin.