A tasty Tomintoul here, distilled back in 2002! This expression was initially set aside to age in ex-bourbon barrels, but was eventually given a new home in casks that previously held Sauternes from Chateau Piada in France. Sauternes is a type of sweet wine, known for its… Well, its sweetness. As such, a hearty helping of that sweetness has been imparted to this Tomintoul single malt. With its nickname being “The Gentle Dram”, we reckon this additional sweetness will make for a rather fantastic tipple.
Master of Malt
Appearance
Lemony yellow in colour I’d say, with a medium to thick swirl line, and slow medium thick legs.
Nose
The nose is fruit laden, with green grapes, sweet lemon, peaches, lemon puff biscuits, and I’d say some honey too. There is a perfume note with this dram too, floral and with time a little foresty. A dustiness plays off superbly with royal icing also.
Late on and more wood is coming through, with blackcurrants and milky chocolate.
Palate
The palate brings a lovely sweet/spice combo that the nose didn’t offer, green gauge, white pepper, grapefruit, guava, and green apple skin.
The spices do last for a while to be honest, longer than I expected in all honesty. Lemon drizzle cake comes next, and it’s a really fresh kind of a palate, almost cleansing, I think a touch of menthol is contributing to that.
Finish
Medium long in length, with a touch of grapefruit bitterness, followed by cranberries with a little drying, that milky chocolate from the nose is coming through nicely, and the spices are still going on, more of a spice in the mouth than chest warming for me. Sweetness also persists, with a good amount of wood until the palate finally fades.
My thoughts
Tomintoul whisky is know as the “gentle dram”, iv’e tasted a few from them and i do like the elegance of their spirit, and at 43% ABV it certainly has it place within the world of whisky. I have to say that i really enjoy Sauternes wine cask finishes also, so this whisky had the hallmarks of a dram i expected to enjoy before i actually opened it.
On opening this sample i could smell it straight away, it did raise a smile as i knew the cask influence on this gentle dram was going to be rather good. From the off it’s a fruity/spicy dram, the cask has indeed had a wonderful influence on the whisky, creating a dram i personally really enjoyed.
At 43% ABV and around £110 for an 18 year old whisky i’m sure many would consider it a good buy, especially those who have gotten into whisky but have yet to reach the dizzy heights of whisky nerdom, it is an enjoyable dram.
Bottle image: Master of Malt.
For transparency – This sample was sent to me by Tomintoul whisky, this has no impact on my notes and thoughts.
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