Tomatin 14 Year Port Casks

Erst süß, dann Honig. Im Abgang lang anhaltende Schärfe

Berry. Sweet apricot, butterscotch. Caramel. Back is a little spicyness. Nuts. Bitterness. Something weird in the middle

sweet raisin crap

Nose: Fresh barley, crisp malt, juicy grapes, red berries, apples, sprightly oak cask and just a hint of cinnamon. The port cask contribution is subtle and very successful. I liked this nose a lot when neat, and adding a dash of water mutes the port influence a little, allowing the malt character to come forward, and it develops some honey. Palate: Sweet, oily arrival mainly on orchard fruits and berries. Sweeter fruits come forward in the development and pepper, ginger and cinnamon spices appear, together with crisp tannins from the cask that show as walnuts and bitter chocolate. There is also a flavor like hot butterscotch or honeycomb. Adding water really does good things to this dram. The hot spice is lowered a good deal and the texture becomes velvety, mouth-coating and soft. Just enough ginger remains, however, so don’t fear watering this one – it can swim. Finish: Medium/long. Fruit and wine flavours segueing into a dash of hot ginger with a little astringency. When watered the finish is substantially the same, but just dialed down a fraction. This is a good example of port maturation. The port pipes were used to modulate and soften the distillery character without swamping the whisky in wine. Vinous aromas and flavours are certainly present, but they have a supporting role that adds colour and character without being overly prominent. The bourbon casks that provided most of the maturation environment are still clearly apparent. The nose is very much a classic whisky profile, but with just a tinge of wine influence that adds depth and body. The palate is a balance between sweet and hot/bitter spice which is again a classic whisky style, but here emphasized by grape tones. The finish is a touch hot, but very satisfying. Great stuff and a good example of Tomatin. It’s a distillery that in my experience can be inconsistent, but when they are good they are very good. This is a great “winter warmer” whisky. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

A strong nose of red berries and grapes, vanilla, and oak. Dark chocolate and strawberries. Warm fruity finish.

Nog iets te spicy voor mij