Last in our “Swansong” trio celebrating drams of days gone by was a Tullibardine from Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague series…And why would this whisky qualify for such inclusion? It was completely “mothballed” back in 1995 and wasn’t re-opened for production until 2003. And this particular expression came from 1993!

What did we think?

Tullibardine 29 year (1993) 47.5% 

• Nose -Shy. waxy crayons, lots of sweetness, could immediately tell this was a well-aged whisky, light caramel, bananas, quite subtle, berries – especially strawberries with pepper, pink Amul strawberry ice cream, Maltese-chocolate creamy fruity filling
• Palate – On the 1st sip, we found ice cream, some wood, simply delicious, by the 2nd sip we discovered some marvelous spunk and character chased by sweetness – when I later read David’s notes could completely understand where he found the gingerbread & rye… yet still with pastries
• Finish – Balsa wood finish, dry

What a marvelous malt! There was a delightful combination of indulgent desserts with elements of much greater substance. A truly interesting dram – inviting, enjoyable, and unique. Fabulous.

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his website…

A characterful but easy-drinking example of this distinctive Highland make. The nose has banana bread, caraway and rye, peanut brittle, honey, olive oil and apricot jam. The palate takes us to a bakery somewhere in central Europe with gingerbread, rye bread, baking spices and honeyed pastries, plus orange cream and sweet Frisian tea.

This hogshead produced 181 bottles at a cask strength of 47.5% and was released for £160 back in the summer of 2022. Thanks to Brexit, I couldn’t purchase it directly, so instead impatiently waited for it to make its way to Whisky.base, where I purchased it in November 2022 for EUR 200 + 18% tax + shipping.

We tried it together in early January 2023, in a Mumbai evening spent exploring “Swansong” drams:

• Cambus 29 year (1990 / 2020) ex Bourbon Cask No. 93596 52% (Elixir,The Whisky Trail Retro)
• Glenburgie 21 year 43% (Gordon & Macphail Distillery Labels)

As for other Chorlton bottles from La Nouvelle Vague series? I’ve had the pleasure of exploring a few expressions:

• Bunnahabhain 18 year 53.4% – Such a chameleon! Must take your time with this dram – absolutely fantastic with its quirky character 
• Croftnegea (Loch Lomond) 13 year 53.9% – Delightful with such a contrast between the aromas and palate, quite dynamic on the nose and subtle yet lovely on the palate 
• Glen Elgin 12 year 56.6% – Deceptive with a nose promising sweetness and light with a surprisingly peppery palate!
• Mannochmore 12 year 58.7% – A delightful summery dram. 
• Mannochmore 13 year 59% – More than a summer dram, it has an intense palate to contrast with the intoxicating nose 
• Orkney 15 year 57.1% – Outstanding! A kaleidoscope of aromas, then a richly complex palate and stellar finish 
• Orkney (Highland Park) 22 year 53.4% – Prompted quite different reactions in different contexts – from big and full to curiously shy, there is a lot going on with this one
• Tormore 28 year 42.4% – A summer dram by the seaside with rare yet rewarding mineral and nutty elements joining a fruit basket 

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