Tamnavulin Double Cask

A modern Speyside distillery, Tamnavulin was constructed by Invergordon in 1966 and survived the industry-wide slump of the 1980s before being mothballed in 1995 by new owners Whyte & MacKay.  Distillation recommenced in 2007 and following Whyte & MacKay’s subsequent acquisition by Emperador, Tamnavulin has finally been given some investment and marketing spend, with a string of single vintage and NAS official bottlings in updated packaging appearing over the last few years. 

Generally speaking, independent bottlings are still the best way to discover the true potential of this very good but sadly overlooked distillery, although there was an extraordinary Macallan-esque 1966 cream sherry cask selected by the late Matthew Forrest for Japan in 2001 that appeared as a distillery bottling. Notable 1960s vintage editions appeared in the 1980s from Cadenhead’s and Moon Import, and 20-30 years later from The Whisky Agency and Douglas Laing, but Tamnavulin’s auction prices are generally very modest and great value for drinkers.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.