Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 46%ABV
Ageing casks: Finished in ex-Rum
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Takara Shuzo Corp.
Average price: € 75.00
Official website: www.cu-bocan.com
Vote: 83/100
Released in the summer of 2023, this 12yo version of Tomatin’s peated whisky sees a finishing in casks that have contained Caribbean rum, specifically from Barbados and Guyana, in a series that will see different rum casks come and go according to their affinity with the distillate, in this case produced in December 2010. In the intentions of Scott Adamson, blender and global ambassador of the distillery, this is a whisky suitable for summer evenings spent around a bonfire on the beach. Trying it in February would therefore not be the ideal context, but I can put on my swimming costume next to the stove to get into the mood.
Tasting notes
And rum it is! The presence on the nose of tart tropical fruit such as pineapple and lime along with sugar paste and almonds is notable, but it’s only an initial whim because the profile soon softens into notes of custard to which the gentle accents of smoke give a push towards Catalan cream. Over time, the warm connotations become more intense, with toffee, peanut butter, marshmallow and milk chocolate, but without losing the initial vein of freshness. Smoke present with delicate minerality.
On the palate, the acidic spirit is sharper, combining tropical citrus fruits (lime and pink grapefruit) with currant and unripe apple. The peat confirms a mineral turn on the smokiness, with a slight but definite saline vein that intrudes nuts, malt cream, chocolate marzipan and a scent of coffee. Hint of ginger.
The finish is not very long and saline, dry and mineral, of citrus, nuts and wood.
Not exactly the most balanced of drams, the refinement (post ex bourbon, probably) seems a little untidy and fails to square with the distillate, creating a wavering and indecisive experience. The peated part is pleasant, and the Tomatin traits that emerge are what ultimately save the day.