The Whisky Meets Sherry set contains a whisky from Tomatin distillery, distilled on January 18, 2002 and bottled on February 23, 2015. It’s been recasked on September 17, 2012 for further maturation in an Oloroso sherry cask. The ABV is 53.4%

The sherry in the set is a Pedro Ximénez sherry VORS matured for 20 years in a similar sherry cask at Bodegas Tradicion, and bottled at 15% abv.

This set came out paired with an Oloroso set which was reviewed yesterday. That also contains a whisky and a sherry, but is obviously quite different.

It was released hot on the heels of the Tomatin Contrast set and with last year’s Cuatro still in our memory (from seeing it in shops, not from drinking. Somehow I skipped that one) I think Tomatin is quickly gaining momentum with their sherry matured whiskies. At least, they are becoming more and more popular with me!

Next Friday I will be visiting the distillery with a couple of whisky loving friends, so I hope to get some more knowledge about this once-biggest distillery of Scotland.

The whisky then!

(See what I did there? I just copied everything from yesterday. How’s that for consistency?)

Tomatin, 13yo, 2002-2015, finished in sherry casks for almost 3 years. 53.4%

The nose is very sweet with lots of sherry flavors. Lots of dried fruits, but initially not too heavy on the raisins. Plums, peaches, figs. Ever so lightly peppery with a hint of clove. The raisins do kick in, but they’re very late to the party. The palate is slightly sharper than expected with black pepper and chili and plums. Oak, quite dry with a tiny hint of sulfur. Some pencil shavings? Peach too. The finish is rich and rich on the raisins, sultanas. Slightly nutty with brazil nuts and hazelnuts. Long and sweet.

Pedro Ximénez, Bodegas Tradicion, 20 years old, 15%

The nose is rather typical with raisins, sweetness but also a hint of thyme and mint. Some garden herbs with a little bit of wood scents. A bit like beech wood. There’s also balsamic vinegar and orange. The texture is very thick and syrupy with thyme and rosemary on the palate. Raisins, brazil nuts, ever so slightly balsamic with strawberries. The finish goes more towards great balsamic vinegar with that hint of mint again.

Another meeting bewteen Sherry and Whisky. Shame for the typo

The sherry and whisky meet much closer to the middle of their respective flavors than with the Oloroso edition. The whisky was, therefore, much more influenced by the sherry. It’s been a while since I’ve had one with this big a sherry influence.

Having said that, it still is a very good whisky. I might just prefer this one over the Oloroso, although that’s based on a sample. I think, if I’d have a whole bottle of either the Oloroso might be interesting for a bit longer.

The PX finished whisky is awesome, albeit a little more predictable. But then again, you get a thick syrupy PX sherry with it. This stuff is ridiculously easy-drinking. It calls for vanilla ice cream. The thick layers of balsamic vinegar and hints of mint make it rather awesome though. Very good stuff.

Tomatin, 13yo, 2002-2015, finished in sherry casks for almost 3 years. 53.4% and Pedro Ximénez, Bodegas Tradicion, 20 years old, 15%. Available for € 95 at Whiskysite.nl