Tomatin is a highlander that has gotten som good reputation based on some older IB bottlings, but the usually very light OB's has never gotten much recognition, at least not that I've heard. So, being established in the late years of 1800's and not a very loud distillery, it has shown the way for others by being the first distillery ever to use Lauter mash tun. I must say that even though formerly being a producer of impressive 12m litres of new-make a year and now producing 5m annually, it still is a big distillery, and I'm wondering why I still haven't come around to try more than a couple bottlings yet. Time to discover!
Tomatin 15yo 1970-1985 40% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail
Golden copper hue. It smells bitter, burnt wood, very oaky. The taste is light, soapy, some green notes, tea and green leaves. This is blend territory, light, easy, not very pleasant, not foul, just boring and tame.
Many older CC-bottlings holds a high standard, this does not: 3.5
Tomatin 15yo 43% OB
Pale white wine color. I remember the 12yo from bygone days were an interesting whisky with quite some fruity and peppery character. Let's see what 3 more years adds? Smells very herbal, grassy, coriander, rosemary, dill, green olives, gravel, earthy, damp, a nice and modest malt so far. The taste is herbal, grassy, light, some vegetable stock maybe. It is very boring all in all, and has a long way to become a worthy representative for this distillery.
Perhaps upping to 46%abv will help?: 3
Tomatin 18yo 46% OB
This one has a nice golden hue, and a slightly higher strength than the 15yo. It smells honey and heather, cinnamon, orange juice, marzipan, spice cake, custard. The taste is light once again, light and peppery, some hay, malt, cream crackers, once again way too light to impress me. But I wish to say that even though being on very undemanding, there is little or no flaws, so, if matured in a good cask and bottled at cask strength, there's no doubt for me that Tomatin has the ability to produce a fantastic whisky.
A bit more spicy than the 15yo, but still kinda dead: 3.5
Tomatin 40yo 1967-2007 44.3% Duncan Taylor
This should really be something else, perhaps one of those bottlings that has helped Tomatin gaining a fairly good reputation the last years. Nice orange hue. It smells rich, all on oranges, olive oil and leather. The taste is bittersweet, minty, ammonia (not that I have ever tasted it), some sweet grassy notes, hay and rhubarb leaves. I know quite a few that would nip this at the pace of an ant suckling milk from a cow, nodding in a weird manner while shaking their eyebrows and saying "this is a fine drink". While phrasing that I have let enough time go for this one to have a chance at a great comeback. Airing often makes wonders. Now it is sweeter, more rounded, some burnt and peppery notes on the finish, not that big difference except the sweet marzipan on the attack.
It is a good whisky, though very light, at least for 40 years in oak: 4.5
Tomatin 14yo 1997-2011 50% OB for Premium Spirits Belgium cask#2549
The youngest one so far, and the strongest one, I hope that 50%abv will make for a more pungent spirit, or at least some more concentrated flavors. This is from a refill sherry hogshead, which really doesn't tell us much, but I hope it hasn't been refilled to many times before the Tomatin hit this cask. Golden color. It smells soapy, dusty, yeasty, sweet, kiwi, rubber, leather, oak. A good alternative to the OB's so far. The taste is soapy again, minty, cinnamon, cauliflower, earthy, once again I get this sense of damp from a boiler. All in all a whisky that doesn't deliver much more than what a regular blend might would.
If you only smell your whisky, this is not a bad alternative: 3.5
Tomatin 14yo 1976-1990 55% Signatory Vintage cask#19479,19480,19481 bottle.175/600
Another one at 14yo, but from a whole different era, and a mix of different casks. I often find that people prefer single casks, but on the other hand, one cask sometimes needs another cask to bring out its best potential, and vice versa, and the result might just be even better than any of them alone. I know that the G&M Cask-series provides a number of bottlings from a mix of casks, and none of them has seized to amaze me yet. The color is apple juice, which means darker than white wine, but no golden nuances. It smells oaky, spirity and peppery, no favorite so far. The taste is initially all on raspberries and dried sage, like chewing dried herbs, very rich and bitter. Concentrated raspberries, oregano, very drying. It leaves a very long lasting finish of dried herbs and orange peel. It's a style from an older era where they took some more chances when casks were bottled, and many would probably say this was a mistake, but I beg the differ, this is for sure a style of whisky that you won't find produced today, and if you get the chance, try it.
Makes me think of Aintree, Liverpool: 7
Next tasting: #2 Classic Malts
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