Country: Scotland
Region: Highland - Speyside
Brand: Tomatin (Mo Or)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 34 Years
ABV: 46 %
Date: 12/05/2013
Colour: Deep Amber/Copper
Nose: A very Mature combination of Sherry and Fruit. I recognise Red Fruits, Plums, Apricots, Melons and Bananas. I also find Oak, Dark Chocolate, Nuts, Toast, Honey, Herbs, Vanilla and a hint of Furniture Polish. The Alcohol is very discrete and the ABV of 46% seems spot on for this expression.
Palate: Mouthwatering and Creamy with a delicious combination of nicely integrated Sherry, Fruits (Melon, Grapefruit and Papaya) and Herbs. I also find Oak, light Licorice, Honey, Cocoa Powder, Vanilla and Dark Chocolate. Mature and Well-Balanced.
Finish: Again, Well-Balanced and Creamy with Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Herbs, Oak, Fruit and hints of Mint and Ginger.
Adding Water does not improve this Tomatin in my opinion.
Rating: 87.5
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22
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. The former owners Tomatin Distillers Company were responsible for increasing the production capacity between 1956 and 1964 but went into liquidation in 1985. Since 1998, Tomatin is owned by the Japanese Takara Shuzo Co, part of the Marubeni 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 again. The Tomatin 1976 from Mo Or (Gaelic for My Gold) we're tasting today was distilled on the 31st of December of 1976 and bottled on the 7th of February of 2011. The whisky matured in a Sherry Butt (Cask # 4). A total of 954 bottles were drawn from this cask. It's quite expensive of course at around 190 US Dollars per 50 Cl bottle. Mo Or is an Independent Bottler from the Netherlands. If you are interested in samples of this bottler, you could have a look here: Dolce Vita Trading - Nosing and Tasting Kits
Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good
Conclusion: Nose, Palate and Finish are in near perfect Harmony. If anything, the Nose is a bit subdued and slightly Dusty. Still, this is a very nice whisky. The Oak and Spice are never too dominant despite its 34 years, the Sherry is very nicely integrated and the ABV of 46% is spot on. It can't be cheap of course but I can fully recommend this Tomatin. A whisky for a very special occasion!
Jan van den Ende May 2013
2 comments:
Oh Jan, nice review, and I love these old Toamtins! But I must say, that I like them a little bit more when they were matured in ex-bourbon casks. The Tomatins fruitiness shows off slightly better. But well integrated Sherry in such a dram is heaven in a glas...
Cheers
Thanks Marcus, Good stuff this. I thought the Fruit, Sherry, Spices, Wood and Alcohol were near perfectly balanced. Would like to try some more of these old Tomatins!
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