Tomintoul is a brand of whisky describing itself as ‘The Gentle Dram’. Under that moniker they have released Tlàth, which is Gaelic and means ‘gentle’. So, this whisky is a gentle dram under gentle drams.

When they released this last year the folks of the Highland distillery asked if I was interested in getting a sample for reviewing, which I was. Especially since I’ve not reviewed that many Tomintouls over the years. They’re not overly prolific, and there aren’t many bottlers overdoing it with Tomintoul either.

The whisky has matured solely in bourbon casks, probably second fill. If my guess means anything.

Sniff:
On the nose there’s a lot of moss and malt. Some icing sugar and some green notes. Very gentle, as expected. There’s not a bit of tingling at all.

Sip:
The palate is incredibly gentle too, with no oomph upon arrival. Barley and a bit of oak, with the green hints of moss and ferns. Simple syrup and a tinge of black pepper.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly more dry with a nice flavor of malted barley.

From my perspective, a whisky that’s overly gentle often gets a bit boring too. In this case that’s not entirely the case. While this whisky is very gentle and it won’t work as a second dram of the evening.

Regarding the flavor, it’s actually quite nice with a good combination of oaky and malty flavors. When I picture Tomintoul I think of temperate forests with a lot of damp soil and ferns and green trees. This is exactly how this whisky tastes, which means it’s incredibly well made as a representation of the brand. Kudos there.

Having said that, it is a whisky aimed at novice drinkers who are still wrapping their taste buds around higher ABV drinks. A more experienced taster will not get as much satisfaction out of this as from some other drams.

Great price though!

80/100

Tomintoul Tlàth, 40%. Available from Master of Malt for £ 26.17

Thanks to Tomintoul for the sample! I quite enjoyed it!