Tamenovlin: From the hill in Scotland to the top of the sales chart

From Tamenovlin, a name that takes a while to get used to, to a whiskey that you fall in love with from the first moment: fruity and rich, sweet and manages to be both accessible and complex at the same time.

When you cross the tasting official with the price, it becomes clear why it has become the fastest growing in single malt sales in the world.

In collaboration with Tamenovlin Whiskey

28/11/2021

Sunday, 28 November 2021, 10:04 Updated: Tuesday, 30 November 2021, 12:49

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Until about five years ago, none of us, and probably almost none of the big whiskey lovers among us, knew the name Tamenovlin.

And here, in 2021, this single malt whiskey, no less than five gold medals in various competitions, was crowned as the single malt growing in Europe and the world by 2020 and became one of the top five brands - in some of the dozens of countries sold - more than fifty countries in total, and the fastest growing whiskey brand in the world. .

How did an unfamiliar whiskey manage to achieve such achievements, in a world built on the one hand on conservatism and adherence to centuries-old traditional whiskey brands, and on the other hand on artisanal distilleries and special editions?

The answer is that he is more or less in the middle, in the best sense of the word: on the one hand, a new and intriguing player on the pitch, and on the other hand his sophistication is in its simplicity: one does not have to be a great connoisseur of whiskey to love him.

New, intriguing, simple and most importantly - beloved (Photo: PR)

A village of 40 residents

The whiskey was first distilled in 1966 in the village of Temenawlin in the Scottish Spaceside area, which now houses about forty residents. The area, along the River Spey, is home to more than half of Scotland's whiskey distilleries, and is considered an ideal whiskey distillery and aging area, thanks to its relatively mild climate and fertile soil suitable for barley growing.

In 1995, the gates of the distillery were closed and its operations ceased completely until 2007, when it reopened and underwent a massive renovation. Since then she has been regularly producing rich, smooth and sweet whiskey, as is usually done at Spaceside. By the way, the name Tamenavlin means in Gaelic "the mill on the hill", after an ancient water mill, which did not actually grind flour, but worked to process sheep wool, served the surrounding farmers and is located to this day in the area of ​​the distillery.

"What makes Tamenovlin's whiskey exceptional," says Stephen Martin, the brand's global single malt expert, White & McKay (the world's fifth-largest whiskey maker), "is the fact that it's always aged twice, combining barrel types that compliment its character. ".

On this point it is worth lingering a bit.

Most whiskey, no matter where and from what it is made, finishes the distilling process when it is transparent and not very complex in terms of flavors and aromas.

What gives it its color, flavors and aromatic complexity is the contact with the wood from which the barrels in which it is aged are made.

Straight from the village (Photo: PR)

Unlike its competitors, all of Tamenovlin's whiskey undergoes double aging. First in barrels that have been used in the past to age American whiskey and then in barrels that have been used in the past to age other beverages. Mostly Spanish sherry, but basically any beverage that has been aged in barrels and left in it its traces of taste and smell.

After conquering Sweden, Russia, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium and other countries, including Britain, a country whose inhabitants, how to put it mildly? Quite versed in whiskey ... Tamenovlin also arrived in Israel in 2019, in two versions. Both versions are unspecified, which, like all distillery products, have undergone double aging, and are offered at market-breaking prices. That is - not only an accessible and complex taste at the same time, but also a price that constitutes an extraordinary "to him for money".

The Tamenovlin Double Cask, aged in barrels and sherry barrels, has a golden color and rich aromas of apple, honey and citrus jam. Its touch with the palate is rich and smooth and the flavors are sweet in an atmosphere of sweet fruit and brown sugar. The finish is warm and rich, as one would expect from a whiskey extension from the Spaceside area.

'Tamenovlin Cherry Finish' has undergone its second aging in cherry barrels of three different types. Its color is darker than its predecessor and among its fragrances can be easily identified those of vanilla, banana, orange and ginger. The mouth reveals a warm and rich whiskey with flavors of almond, citrus, toffee, caramel and brown sugar pastries. The finish is long, complex and even reminiscent of a fruitcake.

If you try to pack everything in a short sentence: we have two beautiful bottles here, accessible and delicious, at very reasonable prices (NIS 130-140 per bottle).

Be that as it may, the young Tamenovlin gives a not bad fight at all to his old competitors and there is no doubt that he will be able to replicate his global success in Israel as well.

Available at all Tiv Ta'am branches and in specialized wine and alcohol stores

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