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: € 33.00
Official website: www.tomintoulwhisky.com
Vote: 66/100
Being faithful to its reputation as a ‘gentle whisky’, Tomintoul is completely free of peaty connotations in all its expressions, but for a fortnight of the year the distillery produces peated whisky for the edition I’m talking about today.
This bottling is the result of blending peated whiskies aged around five years with unpeated whiskies aged around eight years, held together at the strict minimum alcohol content allowed by law.
The peaty touch of the name is therefore already announced as light, in line with the spirit of the label, which already produces a whisky with a stronger peatiness called Old Ballantruan.
Tasting notes
The peat is toasted with a sweet soul of marshmellow and Catalan cream, quite intense, which lets through fruit tones (peach, melon, pineapple), vanilla, orangeade, almonds. Simple and direct, without many frills.
The palate enters with a burst of ashy peat that however falls into the water of the low alcohol content, melting like snow in the sun but leaving behind a sparkling peppery touch of ash and fruit, vanilla, a few drops of honey and iodized veins. There is an underlying herbaceous impression.
Short finish where ash dominates over a few hints of dried fruit and malt.
While bearing in mind the very low price, I find myself again shaking my head at the choice of base strength: you get the impression that there’s everything you’d need for a good whisky but in a diluted, feeble, hinted at whole, like watching an R-rated film with the highlights cut out.
Reviews of Tomintoul whisky in the blog:
Dràm Mòr Tomintoul 15yo
Tomintoul 10yo
Tomintoul 14yo
Tomintoul 16yo
Other perspectives:
The Whiskey Jug