Tomatin 15 Year Old American Oak Casks Single Malt Review

It's been a long time since I've had a Tomatin. Going on about 7 years in fact and to be honest I remember very little about it. I was in a restaurant in Spain and after finishing dinner was in the mood for a digestif. The single malt selection was limited to say the least but the black and red label of the Tomatin 12 year old stood out and that was the dram I plumped for. And that's as far as the memories go, which I assume can mean that I wasn't exactly blown away by the resulting pour.

It's a brand I've always wanted to explore more, along with Tomintoul just because it has a wacky name. But due to the essentially unlimited whisky options placed before us and limited financial firepower, I just haven't got round to following up on my plan. Other brands and distilleries have just taken precedence.

I do plan to put things right with both aforementioned distilleries by buying some samples packs of both so I can do vertical tastings and gain a little insight into their associated DNA.

To get the Tomatin ball rolling though we have a Travel Retail offering on show today. Yes, Travel Retail again. Not a successful hunting ground so far but I don't give up hope that one day something interesting may appear from the airport lounge.

Matured in refill bourbon casks (make that well used) this is bottled at 46% with no mention of being non-chill filtered or natural colour although looking at it I am inclined to believe it is natural colour. This costs €53 from www.whiskysite.nl for a 700ml bottle.

Colour:

Straw

Nose:

Sawn wood and toasted oak. Becomes quite fresh after the wood - green apples, unripe peach, vanilla, honey and a touch of cinnamon bark. Water brings the orchard fruit to the fore along with the malt and some beeswax.

Palate:

Sweet on arrival - honey baked apples, poached pears then overtaken with spice. Clove, cinnamon and black pepper. Water brings little more to the party.

Finish:

Surprisingly short with dry, slightly bitter oak spiciness the overriding note.

Overall:

One word - unremarkable. Travel retail again slaps the customer in the face with the glove of disappointment. This is just a very one dimensional whisky that rewards little for the outlay. The nose is okay but the palate is just plain boring. Not one I would recommend investigating. You can get this kind of experience for much less cash...not that I'm advocating that either.

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