.tomatin - 1997-2014 - g&m - cc

The "Wood Makes the Whisky" campaign of Gordon & Macphail has reached our doorstep once more, this time, one of the selection proved to be a Tomatin from 1997, matured in a refilled ex-Bourbon cask, long after the distillery had been the largest in Scotland. Refill ex-Bourbon casks and maturing Tomatin spirit always have seemed to please my palate...

46% abv, €75
single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, vanilla, fruity, apples, unripe pears, mangos, red fruit, berries, gooseberries, a hint of floral notes, sweet roses

Palate: sweet, a hint of vanilla, berries, gooseberries, fruit, ripe bananas, citrus, orange peel, nuts, almonds, a touch floral, roses, green herbs, basil, spicy, white pepper

Finish: medium long, green herbs, basil. It diminishes at first, but comes back with fruitiness and a vanilla cream coating.
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: Very pleasing indeed. A dram to enjoy in the late hours of Summer or early Autumn, with the last embers on the barbecue still trying to show their orange glow in the grey charcoal and... Well, you get the idea. Besides that, pick your own moment. I find it very enjoyable.

.tomatin - 12yo - cask #2036

When we were at the distillery in May 2014, we purchased two bottles of their bottle your own casks. One was an ex-Bourbon, one an ex-Sherry cask, which appeared to be the two soul survivors of the trip, safe a bunch of samples.

.tomatin - cù bòcan - 1989

It has been a while since I have made a note of a Tomatin whisky, and it is about time I am going to change that. The Cù Bòcan range is the peated range of the distillery, which normally distils non-peated barley, the 1989 edition is the happy mistake that got the range started in the first place.

.tomatin - cù bòcan

Whenever you travel the Highlands of Scotland at night and find yourself in the vicinity of the village of Tomatin, beware of the hell-hound that haunts the neighbourhood! The Tomatin distillery found the beast and tried to bottle this legend...

.tomatin - legacy

Most Tomatin starts it's life maturing for a number of years in an ex-Bourbon barrel. Mix a number of these casks with a set of Virgin Oak casks, and you get the Tomatin Legacy.

.tomatin - cuatro - oloroso sherry finish

Using #TomatinCuatro on Twitter as a medium to launch their latest range, Tomatin chose about 25 people to be among the lucky few to get a first taste of their new range of whisky. Each of the four expressions in the series has been finished on a different ex-Sherry cask: Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.

.tomatin - cuatro - pedro ximenez finish

Using #TomatinCuatro on Twitter as a medium to launch their latest range, Tomatin chose about 25 people to be among the lucky few to get a first taste of their new range of whisky. Each of the four expressions in the series has been finished on a different ex-Sherry cask: Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.

.tomatin - cuatro - manzanilla sherry finish

Using #TomatinCuatro on Twitter as a medium to launch their latest range, Tomatin chose about 25 people to be among the lucky few to get a first taste of their new range of whisky. Each of the four expressions in the series has been finished on a different ex-Sherry cask: Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.

.tomatin - cuatro - fino sherry finish

Using #TomatinCuatro on Twitter as a medium to launch their latest range, Tomatin chose about 25 people to be among the lucky few to get a first taste of their new range of whisky. Each of the four expressions in the series has been finished on a different ex-Sherry cask: Fino, Manzanilla, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.

.antiquary - 12

40% abv, blend

Nose: 'dark' at first, later frash sweetness, yellow fruits, apples, dried peach (or apricots) nuts and... band-aids
Palate: cirtus, marmalade, hazelnuts
Finish: short, sweet, a small tickle in the back of the throat, marmalade
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: I am not sure about this one. the sweet, nutty-ness has something nice, but do not expect to pour a price winner.

More info: the Antiquary is created on the compound of the Tomatin distillery.

.antiquary - 21

43% abv, blend

Nose: apples, fresh, citrus, honey, band-aids
Palate: spicy, honey-sweet, flowers
Finish: short, dry, slightly bitter, marmalade, honey-sweet
Mark: +++++
Conclusion: with a drop of water, this version is a lot more gentle as her 12 year old sibling, but has her disadvantage of being a lot more expensive.

More info: Created at the Tomatin compounds.

.tomatin - 18

46% abv, €50, single malt, non chill-filtered

Nose: rich, sweet, thick, creamy caramel sauce, sherry, dried fruit, prunes, raisins, apricots, apples, herbs, cinnamon, wood, rice-waffles
Palate: spicy, white pepper, sweet, honey, fruit, apples, cinnamon, apple-sauce, floral, violets, medium dry
Finish: spicy, black pepper, medium dry, cinnamon, warm, medium long, sweet, apple-sauce

Mark: ++++/+

Conclusion: homnomnom... Is on my short-list. Rice-waffles could be interpreted as a hay-barn according to the Mrs, so it is more likely to be barley. Or not, who knows - or cares, I like it.

More info: This whisky has matured in refill ex-Bourbon casks, to be married with ex-Oloroso-Sherry casks.

.tomatin - 15

.tomatin - 15

abv: 43%
type: single malt
fles: 70cl, €40,- geproefd met 5cl sample
filtratie: onbekend
karamel E150a: onbekend

neus: fruit, fris, honing, druiven, bloemen, chocola
smaak: zacht, fruit, honing, bloemen
afdronk: vrij kort, zacht, licht zoet, honing
score: ++++

conclusie: lekker wel. Zeer de moeite waard, al is ze niet super bijzonder, maar dat is misschien ook wel weer wat haar aangenaam maakt. Een beetje fris, een beetje fruitig, mooi als "tussendoortje", voor nu en nog eens. Op het verlanglijstje ermee, zou ik zeggen.

Ook deze sample hebben we vanuit de Tomatin distilleerderij tijdens onze reis door Schotland in april/ mei 2012.

.tomatin website

.tomatin - 12

40% abv, €25, single malt

Nose: fruit, gentle, fresh, apple-juice, citrus-juice, pepernoten, banana

Palate: gentle - yet spicy on the tongue, a hint of pepper, sweet, vanilla, fruity, apple-sauce

Finish: medium long, sharp, overripe banana, apple syrup, dark chocolate, liquorice
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: Not really special, but very likeable. Reasonably soft, fresh and fruity. 

.the talisman

40% abv, €15, blend

Nose: gym socks, a whiff of honey, old books, dried grain, horse-stables

Palate: thin, honey, smooth, floral

Finish: cardboard, musty, dust, short, a hint of honey and old books
Mark: +/++++ 

Conclusion: It might be clear, this is not my favourite dram of all time.