Are regions really rubbish? Trying to find a quintessential single malt from one of each.

The 5 regions of Scotland: Islay with its peaty, smoky whisky, the Lowlands with their elegant and delicate ‘Lowland ladies’, Campbeltown has its funky malts, while Speyside stands for fruity whisky and the Highlands have that mixture of fruit and malty character. Those are the stereotypes, at least.

(the 5 scotch whisky regions: https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/discover/enjoying-scotch/scotch-whisky-regions/)

And while perhaps ‘handy’ to be used as some sort of guideline as to what Scotch has to offer in terms of character and flavour, we have since moved on from connecting a specific region to a certain flavour style of whisky. Relicts of the past and all that. So, regarding the question in the title: yes, they probably are. Most of them, most the time in any case. Especially when it comes to regions with a plethora of distilleries like Speyside or a vast and wide one like the Highlands. The latter not getting a lot of corroborative evidence from the islands who tend to be categorized as Highland whiskies as well. The only two where regionality might just have a point in terms of typical flavours are Islay and Campbeltown, as they do have their distinctive characters. And as far as the Lowlands are concerned, it was perhaps pretty straightforward a decade or so ago as well when there were barely two or three operating distilleries left. But with the current boom (over 15 operating Lowland distilleries and counting, at the moment), that one too went out the window. Furthermore, with the current boom that’s going on, having a specific distillery profile is considered an asset more than anything. Singularity is embraced because why would you aim to be interchangeable, to be just another Glengeneric?

And we could argue that a large blender or bottler, let’s call them Douglas Laing for the sake of argument, might be on to something when creating a series of blended malts for and from each of the 5 different regions, but surely for single malt there’s just too much diversity ad singularity going on at the moment to pinpoint one particular distillery, let alone whisky, as THE archetype representing an entire region.

Take Speyside again as an obvious example. The cliché dictates that it’s fruity and pleasant, and likely that comes from some of the big players and sellers in the game, the likes of Glenfiddich, Glen Grant or Glenlivet. But take that burst of apples and pears with hints of pine and compare it to a meaty Mortlach, or an oily Benromach or a dirty Dailuaine and it quickly becomes plain to see that for every example stating the case of archetypes based on regionality, there’s easily a distillery to be found which will contradict that.

So obviously that’s not where I want to take this miniseries. What I do want to try though, is to see if there are whiskies to be found who manage, to a certain extent of course, to ‘capture’ the vast array of styles and flavours associated with a particular region. Not the clichés mentioned above, but a whisky that manages to embrace most of the wide variety of characters and flavours from its region and incorporate them in its own house style, so to speak.

I’ve thought about this, as a concept for a series of reviews, dismissed it, came back to it, dismissed it again, tried to look at it from different angles, and finally decided to roll with it. Likely my picks won’t always be the usual suspects, and it’s quite possible you may think I’m talking out of my own arse on a few occasions and will wholeheartedly disagree with my choices. And not only is that perfectly OK, it’s also very much encouraged. I’m fully aware that what the whiskies I’ve picked are anything but gospel and if anything, I would just love to see reactions, comments and suggestions flying this way and that in the comment section, because I feel this idea has the potential to get some interaction and engagement going. So, by all means: don’t hold back and let yourself go, as I get down to my first ‘quintessential’ regional single malt. And just to showcase how much the whole idea is up for discussion, I’ll start with what may be the most difficult region to pinpoint: Speyside.

Tamdhu 10 year old. 43% ABV, natural colour, UCF, matured in sherry casks, 2017 release, paid €45

First things first: if I’m not mistaken, recently the 10 yo was replaced by a 12 year old as a sort of entry level expression. In any case Tamdhu’s official website doesn’t mention this as part of the current range, so I think it’s fair to assume that they stopped offering the 10 yo as part of their core range. Until 2021 it still very much was part of their core range, so there’s still plenty of this to be found, and it should be somewhere between €40 and €50.

I may have been critical about the choices and decisions owners Ian Macleod have made for both Tamdhu and its sister distillery Glengoyne in recent years, and I absolutely stand by it. Ever since the purchase of Rosebank, it seems there has been made a decision to seriously premiumize both distilleries. The entry level whiskies are – luckily – still available and affordable, but if you take one look at the current pricesetting, it’s clear to see that both Tamdhu and Glengoyne are being pushed into a more premium market segment. And while that’s as sound a business decision as any, from an enthusiast’s point of view that really hurts. Financially, but also emotionally. We don’t only invest with our money, but also with our hearts and minds, when it comes to whisky, as that’s what we’re genuinely passionate about. That said, this whisky is here, I’m happy with what I paid for it, so let’s crack on…

Nose

Loads and loads of red fruit happening here! Quite ‘jammy’ on strawberry flavours, raisins and plums. It’s buttery, with notes of caramel and milk chocolate, while hiding all the way in the back I found this fresh, herbaceous element, like a mixture of parsley and mint. A drop of water isn’t really necessary I believe, but it did bring out some more notes of brown sugar and highlighted the ‘redness’ (fruit!). Rich, yet nothing overpowering and a great balance. Off to a flying start then, as this really is absolutely lovely!

Palate

Great mixture of bitter chocolate, raisins, citrus and prunes this time (rather than plums). Dark roasted coffee, salted caramel and some wood notes, making for a salty, slightly dry mouthfeel. Alas the herbaceous touch I couldn’t find on the palate, and note for a lack of trying. After the added water those salty notes increased further, and brought out some viscosity.

Finish

Bitter chocolate, drying with a pinch of salt.

Final thoughts

It’s fair to say the casks are doing some of the talking here. And seeing how Ian Macleod pride themselves on the quality of their casks (then again: who doesn’t?) this shouldn’t really come as a surprise. But if you try and look past that, you can see that the spirit can handle those active sherry casks quite well. Spending a decade in very active sherry casks could turn a lesser new make spirit into liquid wood basically, but none of that happens here. And that’s why I picked this as a ‘true’ representative for Speyside whisky. It has a fruitiness and a lighter, playful touch to it, but it stands the test of active oak very, very well. An affordable, round and rich whisky, which encapsulates both the firmer, bolder flavours you’d expect from Benromach or Dailuaine, while also showing more delicate, herbaceous, fruity, gentler notes highlighting the softer side of Speyside, the likes of, say, Glen Grant or Tomintoul. And the end result is, frankly, absolutely beautiful!

85/100