“It is good to know our industry has once again been drawn together in perfect harmony, much like a memorable Blended Scotch Whisky, to support the Youth Action Fund. We are delighted that our very rare Tamnavulin 50 Years Old has been able to contribute towards this worthy cause.” - Richard Paterson, Master Blender

Whyte & Mackay are immensely proud to release this unique rare 50 years old expression from their Tamnavulin Distillery, situated in the heart of the Speyside Valley, Scotland. Since 1966 Tamnavulin, the “Millon Hill” has been producing some of the most exceptionally elegant whiskies and coupled with a strong marketing sales promotion behind this formidable Speyside malt, it is not surprising it has now become the UK’s fastest growing malt brand.

Over the years they have released a number of limited “aged expressions” of Tamnavulin, such as the Tamnavulin Vintage 2000, 1979, 1973 & 1970 but never before have they showcased a very rare “One of One” crystal decanter containing some of the rarest whiskies ever produced at the distillery. Therefore, this unique elixir of pure liquid gold must be fully revered and respected.

When this special edition was first distilled over 50 years ago, it was run off into American White Oak Bourbon barrels and left to mature in the dark cold warehouses to allow “Mother Nature” along with the elements of the cold harsh Winters of the Speyside Valley to weave their magic spell. As the years passed this elegant, refined liquid attained some of the most outstanding flavours of creamy caramel, tart tatin, sweet Doyenne du Comice pear and vanilla fudge. However, the Tamnavulin Distillery wanted to bring it to another level of excellence, to another level of exuberance – to be like no other.

With this in mind, they then arranged this aged Tamnavulin to be racked into Vintage 1972 & 1974 Port Pipes where they remained for four years. During this long period, these rich Vintage Port wines moulded and crafted this majestic spirit with additional flavours of blackberries, succulent Victorian plums drenched in Kirsch. In addition, you will find there is a decadent interplay of sumptuous Black Forest fruits, bilberry, and juicy cranberries. This is true elegance personified that only age and meticulous craftmanship can bring.

At natural strength and colour (40.6% ABV) this indeed is a compelling portrait of profound beauty. It has taken 50 long years to fully craft this distinguished Speyside malt, but it will only take a matter of seconds to recognise its outstanding quality. Therefore, you must hold this golden nectar long in the mouth, at least 50 seconds, to fully take in these memorable credentials.

Rest assured you will not be disappointed!

The winning bidder will also receive a handwritten Tasting Note by Master Blenders Richard Paterson and Gregg Glass, plus exclusive lunch and a presentation for up to 4 people in Whyte & Mackay’s Sample Room in Glasgow by the Blend Makers Team.

Tamnavulin Distillery

Tamnavulin Distillery is sited on the southern edge of Speyside, in the foothills of the Cairngorm mountains, at the village of Tomnavoulin, some 22 miles from Grantown-on-Spey in the Highlands of Scotland.

The distillery is tucked away on the edge of the River Livet, set on the bank of the Allt’ a Choire, Tamnavulin draws water from underground springs in the Easterton hills formed by snow melt from the surrounding mountains. This water is naturally filtered through ancient limestone rock before reaching the distillery, resulting in some of the purest spring water to be found in Scotland. The site was once a carding mill which prepared wool for spinning, hence the name Tamnavoulin in Gaelic means “Millon the Hill”. Purpose built for the signature Speyside Malt, Tamnavulin Distillery was founded in 1966 in order to satisfy the growing demand for blended scotch whisky. In 1993 Whyte & Mackay took ownership of Tamnavulin Distillery along with Invergordon Distillery and The Isle of Jura Distillery.

Since that date Tamnavulin Distillery has undergone a modern expansion programme and this was expanded further when Emperador Inc., in October 2014 became guardians of the Whyte & Mackay Group for a purchase price of £430m. With nine wash backs and six stills the distillery has a capacity of annually producing in excess of four million litres of alcohol.

In 2016, Tamnavulin Single Speyside Malt was relaunched in the UK to mark the 50^th Anniversary of the distillery. In 2019, an Oloroso Sherry finish was launched, and in 2020 three red wine cask finishes were introduced to the market – a French Cabernet Sauvignon, a German Spatburgunder Pinot Noir and a Spanish Grenache. A Tamnavulin “Tempranillowine” cask finish was also produced for sale in Global Travel Retail. In 2021, an American Cabernet Sauvignon cask finish was added to the red wine series.

With these exciting innovative expressions, it was therefore not surprising according to IWSR 2021 data Tamnavulin became the fastest growing Single Malt Scotch globally and within only 5 years Tamnavulin became a top 25 Single Malt by Volume.

Joanne Reavley leads Tamnavulin as Distillery Manager, alongside Sam Douglas, Distiller and a talented team dedicated to produce the signature Speyside Single Malt.

Tamnavulin’s future looks bright!

Whyte and Mackay – 2021 Distiller of the Year – Scotland, is home to a collection of multi-award-winning Single Malt Whiskies that include The Dalmore, Jura, Fettercairn and Tamnavulin – the fastest growing Single Malt Scotch 2019-20.

With a premium spirits portfolio that includes contemporary whiskies Shackleton, Woodsman and Whisky Works. Founded and headquartered in Glasgow, the whisky house produce an award-winning ever-popular triple matured Whisky ‘Whyte and Mackay’, which recently launched the market-leading ‘Whyte & Mackay Light’ – a lighter spirit drink from Scotland, bottled at a lower strength. A landmark 50-Year-Old Whyte and Mackay was released to mark their 175^th anniversary.

Whisky Making is led at Whyte and Mackay by Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE, Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass and Blend Controller Margaret Nicol. Tamnavulin Distillery is led by Distillery Manager Joanne Reavley, a respected figure in the industry, with 20 years’ experience. In 2021, Icons of Whisky awarded Whyte and Mackay Distiller of the Year Scotland, after a year which saw acclaimed innovation from The Dalmore, Jura, Fettercairn and of course Tamnavulin.

The number 6 Single Malt producer globally (IWSR, by value 2020) Whyte and Mackay operate 8 sites across Scotland including Dalmore Distillery in the Highlands, and Jura an island off the west coast of Scotland, home to a tiny island community of 212.

The company is committed to playing an active role in the community. In 2020, Whyte and Mackay took part in a virtual race in aid of their official charity partner Sam H, Scottish Association for Mental Health. During the pandemic, Whyte and Mackay were recognised by Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, First Minster of Scotland, for their role in supplying hand sanitizer to local charities and NHS Scotland.

An active member of the Scotch Whisky Association, Whyte and Mackay supported the announcement of key industry initiatives, including the environmental strategy. Whyte and Mackay’s Green Print launched in 2021 and laid out their commitment to a sustainable future for whisky making in Scotland.

The Scottish Oak Programme, is a key aspect of that commitment, looking to responsibly sourced native Scottish Oak, as an aspect of producing whisky with exceptional flavour, and developing the local skills economy to sustainably source oak for whisky making.

Whyte and Mackay are proud supporters of The Worshipful Company of Distillers, the vital work that they have done and continue to do.