When I was at the Hielander Whisky Festival in Alkmaar last February, I got a small sample of the Tomatin 30 from Mr. Jock Shaw (of Scotch & Folk fame). He told me it was better to give a sample since I had already tasted quite a few whiskies and it would work better on it own than in such a random line-up. Since I haven’t been tasting whiskies all that much until recently, I only got around to it now!

Nose:
Lemon drops and icing sugar. Quite sweet with some wood and barley. The sweetness is very thick, almost cloying. Very tasty but I understand why this should not be tasted after 10 other whiskies. Very mature. I even get some pound cake batter.

Taste:
Tingling and fresh, especially for a 30 year old. I think to get some coconut, and again the lemon drops or pear drops. Winegums, sweet and tinned pineapple with syrup.

Finish:
The finish kind of revives after letting it swim for a minute or so. It’s not very long, but ‘medium’. Full flavoured with nice and supple bourbon-cask-flavours. Some coconut again, and other sweet candy.

I find it a bit tough to form an opinion on this whisky. It’s quite clear it’s bloody tasty, but it’s not very complex and, especially in older (more expensive) whiskies, I like something to explore and this one feels like it’s been mapped pretty properly already. The redeeming thing is that it’s not an expensive bottle, for a 30 year old Original.

Tomatin 30, OB, 46%, around € 150 at The Whisky Exchange.

Thanks to Jock Shaw for the sample!