Tastes

There is an interesting aroma on the nose, mainly grape juice and cedar. The palate is sweet with some cinnamon and spice. Finish is short and dry. A decent Canadian whiskey for 89 cents per 50ml. Not as enjoyable as most scotches but I certainly prefer this to Crown Royal.

The nose is dominated by butterscotch and sweet fruit. More sweet fruits on the palate dominated by pear, along with some nuts. The finish is a little sharp. I’ve had Tomatin 12 on a few occasions and it’s always seemed a little bland to me. Recently I tried it alongside the rest of Tomatin’s offerings and it was my least favorite. If you’re looking for an introduction to Tomatin Scotch, I’d recommend the Dualchas which is $11 cheaper.

I found this at my local liquor store for 99 cents per 50 ml and wondered, how bad could a $1 scotch be? Well, the nose isn’t bad and has some nice green apple and beeswax aromas. I continue to be impressed by the palate, which isn’t at all offensive like I anticipated. This scotch taste young and a little watery, but the flavor is enjoyable and has some nice honey, sweet corn, and malt. The finish isn’t complex, as the main flavors just fade away. I’m pretty impressed considering the plastic bottle and 99 cent price. This isn’t great scotch but it’s not bad. And I’d choose it over vodka any day.

I got to try this at a scotch tasting next to the 12 year Tomatin, and it is a marked improvement. The time spent in the port casks really helps bring some complexity to this whisky. The nose is light with sweet fruit, lemon, berries, and honey. The sweet fruit flavor continues on the palate, but develops more grape notes with some brown sugar. The palate is very similar to the 12 year but with more complexity. The finish is spicier than you'd expect, with a ginger flavor. If you enjoy Tomatin 12 and Dualchas, you will enjoy the 14 year as well. However, for near the same price you can usually find the Tomatin cask strength which has even stronger complex flavors, and I think is a much better value.

While at a Tomatin tasting, I chose this scotch as the best value in their line up. Being cask strength, the flavors are rich and strong,and there is no foul ethanol aromas or burn. As you would expect, this whisky had the strongest nose compared to the other bottles we tasted (the Dualchas, 12, 14, 15, & 18) The dominating flavors on the nose were lemon zest and butterscotch, along with less powerful notes of cream and flowers. The palate is sweet, complex, and very strong with cream cheese, lemon, and fresh cut grass. The finish was long and sweet with some spices creating in and some pepper on the tongue. It may sound strange but this scotch is similar to a jalapeño popper. I only had one taste and drank mine without adding water, but if you did have time to add water I’m sure you would discover even more great flavors.

A 12 year blend for $38 per 1.75L bottle seems like an amazing deal. So I was eager to see what kind of quality you get for that value. There is char and smoke on the nose. The palate has also has some char but it is overwhelmed by sweet cream and nougat. There are also some dried fruit and smoke flavors there to enjoy before a short finish. This isn’t a complex whiskey to sit and contemplate, but it is enjoyable and does have good flavor. If I didn’t know better I would think it was blended almost to taste like Johnnie Walker Black. If so, it did a pretty decent job.

This is a good value for an 18 year single malt. You can find some graham cracker and light pineapple aromas on the nose. The palate is very sweet with fresh fruit like cherry and grapes, along with nuts and milk chocolate. The finish is long and creamy. This is a very rich single malt with good flavors, almost like a good malted shake but with fruits, nuts, and sweet alcohol.

I got to try this at a Tomatin tasting and it was my favorite between the 12, 14, 18, and cask strength. You can definitely taste the flavors left from the moscatel casks. The nose isn’t as sweet as wine but you can smell the flowers and nuts similar to a glass of moscato. The palate is less harsh than the 12 and 14 year Tomatin offerings, and sweeter with notes of flowers, nuts, and dark chocolate. The sweetness begins to fade during the finish while some spices emerge. This is a really great scotch that I was lucky to taste as I probably wouldn’t buy it for the $100/bottle they want for this exclusive bottling.