Tácnbora is the first release for the Ad Gefrin Distillery.
From the Ad Gefrin Website:

We are proud to announce that our very first whisky blend will be released for sale on 1st November 2022. We believe that ‘Tácnbora’ – meaning Standard Bearer in Old English - is a fitting name for the spirit that comes before all the others. It also reflects the writings of Bede which recorded that in the 7th century King Edwin was always preceded by a standard bearer carrying a staff topped with a goat’s head – the shape of which has become our logo.

The blend itself is also a thoughtful mix of Scottish and Irish whiskies – reflecting the peoples that would have made up the Anglo-Saxon Northumbrians.

It is a blend of 2 grain whiskies from Ireland, 1 Grain Whisky from Scotland and a Malt Whisky also from Scotland.
Which distilleries supplied each component has not been revealed. It is bottled at 42.7% ABV and retails for £42.50 on the Ad Gefrin website, it is also available at Master of Malt (link) for £44.99

The component whiskies in Tácnbora blend have been aged in a combination of -Ex-bourbon, Ex-Oloroso and Virgin American Oak.

At the  end of the distillery tour, we were invited into the tasting room to try the Tácnbora Blend.
These are my notes from the tasting.

Nose:

Floral and lively, Grain sweetness with a slightly herbaceous and vegetal note.
There is a pleasant level of Orchard fruit (Apple and Pear). Lingering vanilla & caramel ice cream sensation

Palate:

It has a medium sweetness, there is some syrup texture, helped along by not being the minimum of 40%.
There are summer fruits, honey, a hint of Oloroso. Spicy but not overly chilli, the spices being mainly nutmeg & cinnamon.

Finish:

Short to Medium, Oak, Spice and Honey.

With Time:

It becomes is more buttery on the nose and has a much more identifiable Irish character to it.

I found the texture of the whisky was balanced just right without needing to add any additional water, however, since we had two drams, I took the opportunity to add water. This diluted the whisky too much making it loose its syrupy quality and thin out the flavours too much for my palate, however, there were others in the tasting enjoyed the dram more with water.

Switching between the neat and watered dram, the differences became more noticeable, specifically the Irish elements becoming more pronounced.

Summary:

I found the dram light and refreshing, a very easy to drink, regular occasion whisky, very much a gateway whisky that would appeal to those looking to try whisky for the first time, the herbaceous and vegetal notes almost bringing a gin familiarity which could ease you into whisky enjoyment.

At the time I thought the whisky was on par with a Tomintoul 10 Year Old for how easy it was, a style that was desired in the character of the blend.

The Tácnbora is bottled at a slightly higher than normal 42.7% which does offer a certain appeal to more regular whisky drinkers, had it been 40% ABV, it may have missed it mark and not attract more seasoned enthusiasts.

The price is slightly high at £42.50, ordinarily I would expect it to be at least £12.50 cheaper, however, this is the first whisky the distillery have released (they need to cover operation and build costs) and it can't be ignored how prices have risen in the past year. It could have been bottled at the lower ABV to reduce the price, but this would have been at the detriment of a quality, so I can't blame them for the price.

It gets a 'Whisky Transparency & Value Score of 83' which is very competitive.
Only let down by the lack of information about colour and filtration.

I enjoyed the whisky and bought a bottle from the distillery. Ben Murphy Director of Distilling has done a fantastic job with this blend and I look forward to trying their second release when its out.

If you haven't already, you can read our Back for the Whisky - Blog Post 3 - Ad Gefrin Distillery Visit. (link)

To read more about the Ad Gefrin Distillery (link)