Tomintoul Small Batch PX Cask Finish

Tomintoul Small Batch PX Cask Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber red
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, molasses, raisins, malted grains, apricot jam, hints of cinnamon. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Malted grains, strawberry jam, black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, hints of aluminium foil. 
Finish: Medium. Molasses, malted grains, apricot jam, cinnamon, hints of aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Quite spicy and sweet, almost bourbony in that sense, but without the grain sweetness (coconut, vanilla, popcorn). There’s some spiciness on the palate as well as the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul Seiridh

Tomintoul Seiridh

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber red
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberry jam, butterscotch, toffee, chocolate, raisins, vanilla, hints of rose. 
Mouthfeel: Medium, cool, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Fresh baked bread, chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, marmalade, hints of digestive biscuits. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, cocoa powder, marmalade, vanilla, butterscotch. 

Comments: 

Sweet and sherried, lots of jammy notes, and chocolate on the finish. A very comforting, standard, unsurprising sherried whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul Small Batch Tawny Port Cask Finish

Tomintoul Small Batch Tawny Port Cask Finish

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Red
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Yoghurt, red wine, red grapes, raisins, lemon sweets, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, slightly tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Raisins, malted grains, red grapes, honey, cough syrup, hints of white pepper. 
Finish: Short. Cloves, raisins, malted grains, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Rather sour for a port cask finish. The red wine and red grape notes are predominant, but the cereal is there and there’s also a bit of peppery spiciness. Decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 14yo (2008 Edition)

Tomintoul 14yo (2008 Edition)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Orange gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cinder toffee, black tea, vanilla, orange peel, white pepper, nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, sticky, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, cinder toffee, white grapes, butterscotch, raisins, hints of allspice. 
Finish: Medium. Cinder toffee, black tea, nutmeg, raisins, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Sweet and sticky, but lots of toffee / butterscotch notes, where I’d expected fruit (it’s matured in white port casks, after all). It’s got a bitter, spicy edge too, that lifts it beyond the ordinary. Quite a pleasant dram. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 13yo 2004/2018 Cask 5

Tomintoul 13yo 2004/2018

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber gold
59.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, chocolate, grape sweets, black tea, blackberries, hints of saffron. With water, damson jam, grape sweets, hints of saffron. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, oily, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Honey, raisins, fresh baked bread, saffron, orange peel, black tea, lemon zest. With water, more bitter, black tea, toast, orange peel, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, blackberries, orange peel, raisins, black tea. 

Comments: 

Cask 5, as said on the label. It’s quite an oily dram with thick legs, lots of classic sherry cask flavours, but with a bitter, fragrant herbal edge. Needs a fair bit of water to open up and bring in some jammy flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 15yo Portwood Finish Batch 2

Tomintoul 15yo Portwood Finish Batch 2

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Dark gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Fresh baked bread, rolled oats, brown butter, burnt toffee, vanilla, hints of hops. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, vanilla, lemon zest, strawberry jam, honey, butterscotch, hints of pears. 
Finish: Short. Toast, malted grains, honey, strawberry jam, hints of pears. 

Comments: 

Doesn't quite taste like a port cask finish - lacks the obvious red grape and red wine notes. But there's plenty to find here - burnt toffee, some sweet red fruit, buttery, almost savoury, and something green and sharp on the nose. Good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Old Ballantruan

Old Ballantruan

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Pale buttercups
50% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Smoke, peat, sherry, white wine, butter, soy sauce, hints of roast chicken, hints of mint.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, thickens, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Butter, smoke, white grapes, peat, walnuts, soy sauce, apricots, hints of mint.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, peat, apricots, new plastic.

Comments:

Bottled at around 5 or 6 years old, apparently. Peaty, smoky, yet slightly fruity with some meaty notes. Peated Speyside is still pretty unusual, especially in official bottlings. Tastes like a light, young Caol Ila, but not quite. Very good, takes no prisoners (or water).

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 27 yo

Tomintoul 27 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Smoky amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, caramel, orange peel, leather, driftwood, lemon zest, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, cool, loose.
Tasting: Bitter. Orange peel, vanilla, leather, driftwood, peat, honey.
Finish: Short. Lemons, vanilla, driftwood, orange peel.

Comments:

Light, cool and refreshing. This is unusual in something so old. There's a lot of vanilla flavour from the long wood aging, but this does not overpower the slight salty, bitter flavour components such as driftwood and orange peel. Pleasant and drinkable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 16 yo

Tomintoul 16 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, red wine, brown paper, sherry, cherries, chillies, hints of nutmeg.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens quickly, creamy.
Tasting: Sweet. Plums, lemons, brown paper, ume, cherries, nutmeg, hints of chillies, hints of smoke.
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, plums, chillies, hints of coconut.

Comments:

Sweet with a sharp tartness that brings to mind Chinese sour plums, or even Japanese ume. Very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this.

Tomintoul 10 yo

Tomintoul 10 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
40% ABV
Sampler

Nose: White wine, chardonnay grapes, bananas, oak, malt, grass after rain.
Mouthfeel:Thin, light body, refreshing.
Tasting: Sour. Corn mash, malty, clay, cornflakes, pumpernickel, rye.
Finish: Short. Sharp, citrus fruit.

Comments:

Light and winey, doesn't really taste 40% at all. Tastes like a Lowlands whisky. This is their flagship bottling; they also have a peated version that was apparently experimental. That would probably taste quite strange.

Verdict:

Not bad.