Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Angus Dundee plc
Average price: € 64.00
Official website: www.tomintoulwhisky.com
Vote: 75/100
The gentle whisky of Speyside returns to these pages with the greatest ageing so far that I have come across (courtesy of the producer, Angus Dundee).
Compared to the 14 year old, here we go backwards with the degree of alcohol, bringing the whisky back to the basic 40% which, for such an important maturation, I personally find hard to understand.
It’s true that the spirit of this distillery is precisely that of offering distillates that are smooth and not aggressive, so it makes sense not to offer them at high alcoholic strengths, but I fear that here we run the risk of having killed the whisky.
Now let’s see…
Tasting notes
Herbaceous and muted nose, with sweet notes of honey, vanilla and caramel emerging with composure, accompanied by fruity tones of pineapple, peaches and apples. Slight lemony hint. Fresh and gentle, as per the slogan.
Cereal and honey flow in the mouth, with a slight hint of pepper, in a profile summarily sweet and fruity (vanilla, pineapple, apples, peaches, marzipan) with touches of hazelnuts. The whole is however subdued, light, subtle, with a vague metallic note in the background against a grassy background.
The finish is not very long, with hazelnuts, honey, malt and another hint of metal.
An important ageing process is killed by too low an alcohol content, which puts the brakes on any aroma, making it flat but pleasant. The choice is coherent with the spirit of the label, and in this respect one can’t blame it, and the list price is ridiculous for such an ageing, but if you think to the potential expressed by the 14 year old, seeing every flicker and substance extinguished can only leave a bitter taste in the mouth for what this whisky could be.
Other perspectives:
The Scotch Noob