about tullibardine 18 year

Tullibardine’s 18 Year Old pairs dried tropical fruit with baked, roasted and gently rustic notes. Introduced to the Signature Range in 2023, its inaugural release was distilled in 2005 and matured in first-fill bourbon and sherry casks. Dried mango, pineapple and orange peel meet banana bread, milk oolong tea and maple syrup, while chocolate and cappuccino add depth. Leather, old books and beeswax give it a mature character, rounded out by allspice and a touch of salinity.

behind the bottle

Tullibardine’s story begins long before its stills: in 1488, King James IV purchased beer from a brewery on the site. The modern distillery began producing whisky in 1949, becoming Scotland’s first newly built distillery since 1900.

flavor camp taste profile

key flavor notes

production details

Single malt Scotch whisky
Tullibardine Distillery
Blackford, Highlands, Scotland
43% ABV
18 years
100% malted barley (0 ppm)
Copper pot stills, 2 distillations
Double matured in first-fill ex-bourbon (75%) & ex-Oloroso sherry casks (25%)
None (no caramel colouring, non-chill filtered)
$145-$155ish CAD (2026)

what shapes the flavor

Long, double maturation shapes the profile. Three quarters of the whisky is matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, which bring dried tropical fruit like mango and pineapple, banana bread and maple syrup. The remaining quarter comes from ex-Oloroso sherry casks, adding chocolate, cappuccino and dried orange peel. Nearly two decades of slow oxidation build the rancio-style notes: savoury leather, old books, beeswax and a slightly musty edge, lifted by allspice and a touch of salinity.

house style

Tullibardine sits in Blackford, at the foot of the Ochil Hills on the edge of the Highlands. Its house style is fruity, soft and approachable, and the distillery is known for experimenting with wine and fortified cask finishes. The 18 Year shows a deeper, more oxidative side, placing nearly two decades of maturation within a site whose relationship with fermentation stretches back more than five centuries.
top