I passed on the PX finished bottling for now, which I'll explain later, and will stick to the FINO for this tasting. This will be compared against another bottle. Smell - Caramel, vanilla, hints of dark fruit, maybe some grape or wine undertones. When swirled, oak appears, similar to buttered toast. The Oloroso offers drier dark fruits associated with sherry, with less grape/wine character. It has significantly less caramel and vanilla. Manzanilla shows vanilla notes but lacks the caramel. It's sweeter and provides a much richer, more intense aromatic experience overall. The Fino's aroma is rather subdued. Flavor - It's spicy with a pleasant vanilla note and some characteristic fino qualities (I realize that). There are some light, fruity notes, but it remains spicy. Oloroso presents more spice, potentially even spicier. Notes of chocolate and waxy dark fruits are present. The influence of the finishing seems more pronounced here. Manzanilla is sweet and slick, with fruitiness but no clear finishing notes. I could mistake this for a Speyside, though it's a bit too fruity and sweet for my liking if it were un-finished. My initial observation is that these have improved considerably since opening; initially, the finishing notes were barely perceptible. Nevertheless, they still lean heavily toward bourbon influence, suggesting the secondary casks were quite used. Fino - This is an intriguing dram overall. However, it's not quite my preference. At 12 years, it feels a bit premature for this spirit. I believe more substantial finishing would have benefited it at this age. Despite this, I'm still pleased with it. For over $60, I wouldn't suggest it unless you're conducting a comparative tasting like this. This bottle won't be finished quickly, perhaps not even next year.
Tomatin Cuatro Series #1 "Fino" 12 Year
3.69 Decent
Whiskey Scotch Highlands 12 Year 46% ABV
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About this bottle
The Tomatin Cuatro Series, launched in September 2014, includes four Highland single malt expressions, each finished in a different sherry cask type. Every bottling was distilled on the same day and spent 9 years aging in traditional American oak casks. This inaugural expression is finished in Fino sherry, a type of young white wine characterized by a yeast layer known as "flor," which prevents oxidation and develops with ample headspace in the wine barrel. Following a 3-year finish in these ex-Fino sherry butts, the whisky is bottled at 46% ABV.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 5 parsed reviews.
I agree with another reviewer. It's definitely better than the disappointing Goldlys, but it does seem to use well-seasoned casks and lacks depth. Tomatin is capable of producing excellent spirits, but their output is often just average, with only occasional flashes of brilliance.
Incredibly smooth, with hints of caramel
From 2017-12-07.
January 29, 2019
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.
