Tomintoul 15 year 2005 Cask #50A (Rolling Cask)

Nose: Malt, butterscotch, honey, warm croissants, and a pinch of cinnamon. A pleasantly rounded and rich aroma. A dash of water mutes the aromas … perhaps a little too much? Palate: Honey and spices on the arrival (dill, fennel) with a texture like crème brûlée. Cereal, vanilla, and lots of malt – almost like malted milk powder at times. Hearty and satisfying. Adding water does not change the profile a great deal; it just becomes less intense with a hint of peaches emerging. Finish: Long. Malt and vanilla into the aftertaste with an unexpected late peppery note. A pleasant single malt but maybe not one of the most interesting expressions I’ve tasted from Tomintoul. It’s reminiscent of the core range 16 year old with a little more heft, which is not a damning comparison at all as I’m quite partial to that whisky. However, while the 16 y.o. is a very soft, accessible, and reasonably priced dram, I’m not sure I would pay any more to own a bottle of this, particularly as it is only a 500ml bottle. Unfortunately, I did not make a note of either the abv strength or the price, but I believe it was in the mid 50% range and around $150. I’ll correct that later if I can find the precise information. This tasting was from bottle 136/424. I know virtually nothing about Rolling Cask Pty Ltd other than that it is a private company based in Sydney’s northern suburbs and that it was registered less than a year ago. They seem to be an independent bottler with just a few expressions at the moment, but details are almost impossible to find. All I can say is that based on the two bottles of their product that I have tasted so far they are doing a good job and I hope to see more from them in the future. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show, May 15, 2021. My tasting #10 “Good”: 83/100 (3.5 stars)