Review by: The Muskox

I don’t usually think much about Tomatin, other than occasionally lamenting that they have the most unfortunate name of any distillery (though Bimber is pretty close, IMO). Tomatin’s OBs are all pretty good from what I’ve tried, and there was that one ’88 Cu Bocan bottling that was outstanding. Otherwise, it’s a pretty straightforward fruity unpeated Highlander… let’s see if this bottling from Single Cask Nation can stand out.

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Distillery: Tomatin.

Bottler: Single Cask Nation.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 58.1%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled in 09/2006. Bottled in 08/2019.

Cask type: Cask #800230, ex-bourbon cask.

Color: Pale gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Gentle and sweet. So many apples. Apple crumble, with a buttery brow-sugary oatmeal topping of some kind. Honey and delicate flowers, sort of a floral nectar-y note. Beyond all the apples are subtler fruit notes of nectarines and table grapes.

A dribble of water brings some nuttiness and toasted challah.

Palate: Medium-light texture, with a little youthful heat. Sweet buttery apples on the arrival, along with flowers and ginger. Sweet malt, toffee, and some white chocolate in the middle. Very buttery and creamy as it develops, even texturally. More banana here.

Water adds a fragrant sandalwood-ish character, but takes away some of the butter.

Finish: Sweet and creamy. Subtle oak. Effervescent here as well, more of a cider. Coffee ice cream, strawberries, fresh white flowers. Hints of star anise and tangerine peel.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Rosh HaShanah apple dip”

Notes: I didn’t pick this whisky because I thought it’d be particularly seasonal, but turned out to be a perfect apple-and-honey bomb. There’s not a whole lot of complexity, but there’s some really excellent buttery and creamy flavour in here. There’s a bit more going on with the water added, but you sacrifice a fair bit of the sweetness and richness. All in all, solid – a flat 5 out of 10, if you will.

Final Score: 80.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.