Duich 2003

Current owners Ian Macleod Distillers have done an incredible job of resurrecting this distillery, having earned an impressive list of awards and recognition from the whisky industry as a whole. It is not the first time they have seen such success: Just eight years after purchasing highland distillery Glengoyne, sales of the single malt more than doubled - a very encouraging sign of things to come for this Speyside distillery.

Auction estimate: £10,000 - £12,000

Auction has ended. The winning bidder has been notified.

Cask Details

Distillery	Tamdhu
Region	Speyside
Age	17 years
Distillation Date	November 12, 2003
Cask Type	Refill Hogshead
Peated?	No
Re-gauge ABV	60.56%
Re-gauge Litre of Alcohol (RLA)	114.20 litres
New Bulk Litres	188.90 litres
Re-gauge Date	March 2021
Bottles	269
Cask Number	264

The Wood

The spirit of this secret Speyside distillery has been a favourite of independent bottlers for some time as for many years it was the only way whisky connoisseurs could sample the distillery’s offerings in single malt form, with the majority of spirit being used in the blending industry.The distillery now focuses mostly on single malt whisky exclusively ex-sherry cask maturation. However, at the time of this cask being filled, both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon maturation was taking place, hence this refill bourbon cask we have for auction here.

In 2019 the distillery opened an onsite cooperage for repair and inspection of casks and employs three semi retired coopers with vast experience of ensuring that only the best casks are used and maintained.

The Spirit

The spirit produced at this Speyside distillery has long been a blender’s asset due to its uniqueness and consistency and is the reason why many blenders opted to use the whisky as a component in blended whisky such as J&B and Cutty Sark.

The distillery operates a 59 hour fermentation time and has squat – onion shaped – stills. The combination of both of these result in a spirit that is very gentle with aromas of caramel, apple, vanilla, almonds; a truly classic Speyside flavour profile.

The Masters

“There is no such thing as a typical day at Tamdhu as our days range from arranging nosing and tastings for guests, preparing for a new release, or dealing with production issues in the distillery and warehouses.”
—Sandy McIntyre (2019)

Many of the workforce which operate this distillery’s staggering volume of production and warehousing are locals, and the current distillery manager Sandy McIntyre describes his brigade as more than a family than a team. The hands on nature of the distillery is definitely working, as Sandy McIntyre was named distillery manager of the year in 2019 and his selection of a single cask distilled one week after the one we have for auction here was accredited with the World’s Best Single Cask Whisky” at the World Whiskies Awards in 2020.

The Verdict

This cask was 60.56% ABV at its last regauge in March 2021, impressively high considering this cask will be 18 years old in a few months time, meaning this cask has the potential for a much longer maturation if desired. On the other hand, many other releases, particularly single casks at cask strength have been extraordinarily well received.

Current owners Ian Macleod Distillers have done an incredible job of resurrecting this distillery, having earned an impressive list of awards and recognition from the whisky industry as a whole. It is not the first time they have seen such success: Just eight years after purchasing highland distillery Glengoyne, sales of the single malt more than doubled - a very encouraging sign of things to come for this Speyside distillery.

Tasting Notes

“This is a fantastic, extremely tasty whisky. So much so that I found I had to sample it twice… The nose is very fruity, an unusual fruit salad made of fresh, sweet strawberries; tart, jammy raspberries and juicy honeydew melon. I found the texture on the palate really surprising, it tasted fizzy! Like the sweet, slightly fizzy powder that covers cola-bottles and old fashioned sweets. The strawberry, raspberry and melon were still there on the palate and developed into something very more-ish indeed.”

– Ryan McCafferty,
UK Sales and Operations Director

About The Distillery

Malt aficionados may scoff at the thought of Speyside being ‘off the beaten track’, but it is worth remembering how this hugely successful industry has its heart in such a sparsely populated, mountainous region. Like many Scottish whisky distilleries, this Speyside distillery takes its name from its local environment, in this case, the word for ‘little dark hill’. In the shade of the little dark hill is produced a spirit so reliable and sought after as a component in blends, it has begun to develop its reputation as a single malt in its own right. A fine history has paved the way for a very bright future.

Buyer’s note: Duich is a pseudonym for a secret Speyside distillery. When bottled, the label may refer to the distillery brand name as such: “distilled at Tamdhu distillery’, as long as it’s not overly prominent.

Buyer’s note: We cannot offer a photo of this cask due to the regulations on Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations that are imposed in the warehouse.

Questions?

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Auction Details

Bidding will end on June 6th at 5:00pm BST subject to continuation defined below.
If any bid is received within the last 5 minutes of bidding across any of the current auction listings, the entire auction will be extended for an additional 5 minutes. The auction will officially close when a period of 5 minutes has passed without a new bid.
All bids represent a legally binding contract to purchase the designated item.
The highest bidder at conclusion of the auction will immediately be charged a £500 deposit by credit card; the remaining balance will be due within 72 hours of auction close by bank wire transfer.
Failure to send proof of payment within 72 hours will result in a penalty of 1% of the hammer price for each day the payment is delinquent.
Upon verification that all funds due have been received, ownership of the cask will be transferred to the buyer and the buyer will be sent a title certificate. As per Scottish regulations, the cask must remain in a government bonded warehouse until bottling.
No samples will be provided during the auction.
If two bidders place a bid in the same amount, the first bid placed will be the winner.
Storage will be included for a period of 3 years from the conclusion of the auction. All other costs related to storage, removal from storage, insurance, transportation, bottling and duties/taxes will be the sole responsibility of the buyer.
A reserve price has been set for the auction. If the reserve price is not reached then the seller, in their sole discretion, can choose whether to accept the high bid or may offer a counter offer. All bids placed by buyers are binding, even when the reserve price has not been met, until the seller declines the highest bid.
A 10% buyers premium will be added to the highest prevailing bid. No buyers premium will be due if the reserve price is not met and the seller choses not to accept the high bid.

Secret Speyside 2003