Tomatin 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Tomatin

Type: Single Malt

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Full Gold (Contains E-150)

Nose: Floral and Malty Nose with Toasted Grain, Oak, Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Brown Sugar, Sherry, Citrus, Apple, Cinnamon, Butter, Heather and Pineapple. Light off-notes in the form of Rubber and distant Baby-Sickness.

Taste: Slightly Watery and Sweet with Malt, Sherry, Pepper, Toffee, Nuts, Brown Sugar and very light Rubber. A very distant hint of Peat.

Finish: On the Short side with Sherry, Heather, Pepper, Nutmeg, Honey Marshmallow and other candies. 

I added a few drops of Water and that takes away the off-notes. It also reinforces the Malty and Fruity part of the Nose. Buttered Malted Heather would summon it up nicely! But Palate and Finish just become watered down versions of themselves with some Licorice popping up. Sip it neat but use a couple of drops when Nosing!

Rating: 81  

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Tomatin Distillery was founded in 1897 and is located close to the A9 Motorway, halfway between Aviemore and Inverness. Over the years it grew very fast and today it is the second largest distillery in scale after Glenfiddich. It is owned by the Japanese Takara Shuzo and Okura Group. A large part of the production (80%) goes into blends like Antiquary and Talisman. Lately the distillery is making an effort to promote its Single Malts. In 2003, the 12 years replaced the 10 Years as the Standard Malt. It matures in First Fill Bourbon Barrels, Refill American White Oak Casks and Spanish Sherry Butts and is married for around three months prior to bottling in Spanish Sherry Butts. The price varies a lot from place to place but on average you will spend around US$ 40 a bottle.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Imaginary Malted Heather with hints of other Fruits and Flowers and a bit of Sherry. Quite Sweet and slightly Watery on the Palate and a forgettable Finish. Light off-notes in the form of Rubber and Baby-Sickness. It's not a bad dram all things considered but rather monotonous. Solid - and inoffensive basis material for Blends. But not interesting enough as a Single Malt. No need to wake me up in the middle of the night for this!

Jan van den Ende                                                           December 3, 2012