Tomatin Cask Strength

Aroma (neat): Lively and a bit sharp when tasted neat. The character is quite similar to a dark, nutty ale or stout, featuring malt, cereal, walnut, and hazelnut scents, but its profile is surprisingly limited. Some influence from the cask is noticeable as light floral and fruity notes, and as it sits in the glass, it gains body but also seems to combine into a walnut-toffee mixture. Hints of ginger and green fruit are also detected, with a nail polish aroma in the background. Aroma (diluted): More approachable after adding a good splash of water. The alcohol bite is reduced, and fruity, sherry-like notes are now apparent, along with a touch of vanilla, though malt remains its primary characteristic. Palate (neat): Cinnamon spice and oak tannins on the initial taste; it's briefly sweet but then develops a significant bitter/sour tannic quality as it progresses. Flavors of old, sour walnut skins, tobacco (cigarette tobacco, not sweet chewing tobacco), and a bitter herbal grassy taste like gentian are present. It's unusual and somewhat harsh (almost industrial), with a flavor reminiscent of sour milk and very bitter black coffee. Palate (diluted): Smoother and gentler on the initial taste, but the development is arguably worse, becoming bitter yet also thin and unpleasant. Finish: Medium to long. Tannic, bitter, slightly metallic, and fading to a leathery dark chocolate aftertaste. Adding water doesn't improve it much. The aroma strongly suggests a lack of complexity to counterbalance the substantial alcohol content. While alcohol is an excellent carrier of aromas, there must be sufficient aromas present to be carried, and in this spirit, they are somewhat understated and unbalanced. With water, it becomes more accessible, but the lack of substance is even more evident. The palate was entirely unappealing to me. It possesses a uniquely bitter quality, and frankly, I found it utterly repulsive at first. This is the closest I've ever been to spitting out a spirit. The second neat sip was better than the first, but it still exhibited an intense flavor akin to quinine. Water doesn't perform miracles here, making it more approachable but not significantly better. Tasted from a 30ml sample, and nothing would compel me to purchase a full bottle. "Adequate": 70/100 (2 stars)

This stop on the tasting journey is Tomatin, a Highland distillery recognized for producing quality single malts at an exceptional value. This 12-year-old is a cask strength, single cask selection chosen by a liquor store in Minnesota. The cask number is 1833, bottle 24 of 210. It was distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2014, with an ABV of 53.1%. Given its cask strength, I'd assume it's non-chill filtered and naturally colored. It has a light golden straw appearance. I've previously sampled three other Tomatin 12-year-olds: the older sherry-finished version, the newer "Bourbon and Sherry Cask" edition, and the limited French Oak release. Let's see how this one measures up. Dominant floral notes on the nose are so strong they immediately reminded me of barrel-aged gin, along with light oak, pine, and a lemony citrus. It's remarkably gin-like. Vanilla custard, very light butterscotch, and toffee are present. A candy-like sweetness emerges, but it's weak and masked by floral notes. After a significant time in the glass, some sherry notes appear, manifesting as a maple syrup-like sweetness, with a hint of nuttiness, pears, and cinnamon. I decided to add water to see if the higher ABV was obscuring what I recall from the standard 12. Water enhances the sherry, oak, and fruit, introducing some honey, but it does nothing to diminish the prominent floral notes. Similar to the aroma, the palate is hit with a huge floral intensity upfront, again, very gin-like. Peppery sherried oak and a lemon/pine citrus are present, along with cinnamon, pears, and a slight bitterness. Water dilutes everything except the floral and pine notes, making it feel even more like gin. The mouthfeel is medium to full-bodied, with a light oiliness that coats the mouth and makes it water. The finish is quite short, floral, slightly bitter, and dry. This expression is vastly different from the other Tomatin 12-year-olds I've experienced. It's also a letdown for a cask strength scotch. Rating this is difficult as it barely resembles a scotch; it's more of a scotch-gin hybrid. It's well-priced for a single cask, cask strength at only $43, just $10 more than the standard 12-year-old version, but it's simply not what I seek in a scotch. A solid 3. Thank you for the sample, it was certainly a unique experience. Cheers

Ah, Tomatin. This distillery has steadily risen on my list of preferred producers due to some seriously high-quality drams that are reasonably priced. You can find some enjoyable drinks ranging from the NAS Cu Bocan to the 12 year French Oak to the 14 Year Port Finished to the 18 year sherry cask. Most of these bottles are in the $45-60 range. I believe the 18 can be found for under $80. There's significant value there. This particular bottling is the single cask, cask strength version of the 12 year old with a sherry finish. This one was chosen by the folks at Ace Spirits in Minnesota. It's cask number 1833 and bottle #24 out of a limited run of 210 total. I purchased this for a small price of $43 online. It's 53.1% ABV, distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2014. It's a very pale yellow in the Glencairn and remains viscous and oily even when agitated vigorously. The nose has fresh cut oak, vanilla beans with some subtle sherry notes that struggle to overcome the heat from the high ABV. The palate reminded me of fresh cut, yellow pine from my teenage years working at a local lumber yard. The sawdust always ended up at home with me, and that scent occasionally haunts me, particularly when drinking American bourbon. It's very prominent here as well. There's a pleasant wave of sherry sweetness at the end and into the finish, which saves this from being an overwhelming display of oak and heat. The finish is somewhat long, oaky, and hot without being overly harsh. It's not complex, but I find it quite enjoyable and superior to the standard 12 year old. I hope the others on the distillery tour group find this one pleasing, as my recent contributions have mostly been misses. I enjoyed it and would recommend it, especially to bourbon enthusiasts. It serves as a solid connector in the world of single malt scotches. 3.5-3.75 stars, with a slight boost for the price. Cheers.

The high alcohol content is quite noticeable on the nose, without being unpleasant; on the contrary, it enhances a lovely herbal and balsamic freshness, with hints of amaretto, lemon zest, peach, pineapple, candied orange, and sugar glaze. Malt is very present, with a subtle hint of yeast. I'd say it's rather young. The initial alcoholic impact on the palate is understandably strong, but not very balanced: Tomatin's typical aromas are not usually this intense, but here they are completely overshadowed by the alcohol level. Still a lot of malt, along with cinnamon, raisins, pineapple, mango, and a touch of citrus. The aromas struggle to come through, burn off quickly, leaving only alcohol and wood. A medium finish, alcoholic and astringent, with notes of malt, wood, and cinnamon. Cask strength bottlings appeal to a specific segment of the market, but it's not necessary to seek them out at all costs, and above all, one must know how to create them. The alcohol here overwhelms everything, exposing the inadequacy of Tomatin's otherwise good whiskies to handle this high alcohol content. Perhaps a more decisive aging would be beneficial, but that's clearly not the case here: only the smell was appreciated (from which one can infer it could be better), but they are capable of much more.

On the nose: PVC glue, BBQ herb sausage, nail polish, earthy, tart, apple, then a light hazelnut and finally sherry almond On the palate: strong and aggressive, deep and cold fire, astringent and tannic, floral, sherry hazelnut/almond, slightly medicinal The finish is slightly tannic and alcoholic with a lack of flavor apart from a distant hint of hazelnut and a metallic aftertaste With a drop of water: the nose holds onto the sherry a bit longer, but the palate isn't much more pleasant or complex, it's just less intense Personal rating: 74/100 A Cask Strength that's far too young for my liking, which doesn't even offer as much flavor as a 43 or 46 ABV, when it should be the opposite. This whisky is thus just almost unnecessarily loaded with alcohol. Diluting it changes nothing, no complexity and at times almost unpleasant. It's nevertheless saved by its interesting, unique, and pleasant nose.

After a trying day at the office, which will likely consume my weekend, I'm taking a brief respite from the work chaos. I've grabbed a sample from a collection shared by a friend. The scent is floral, with damp sawdust, apple crumble pie, and vanilla cream soda. A subtle nutty aroma emerges after a considerable time. The overall aroma is quite pleasant and calming. The palate presents a spirit with a thin body. A fleeting vanilla sweetness gives way to a peppery spice. A hint of lemon zest appears as it fades with a touch of ground cinnamon. It fades with a warming sensation. The finish is brief, with lemon oil and drying oak tannins. A fine, understated whisky suitable for daily enjoyment. It won't astound, but it won't let you down, especially considering the cost.