Tomatin 15 Year 43% (Discontinued)

This was a pretty lucky find considering it was discontinued about a decade ago based on what information I can dig up on online. The 12 and 18 were both solid, and before I get around to the 14, I’m taking a crack at its predecessor. Let’s check it out. Nose: Honey, caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Apple, pear, and apricot. White grape. Yellow raisin. Orange citrus and floral notes. Butterscotch. Toasted almond and macadamia nut. Sugar cookie. Mocha. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice. Palate: More of the apple, pear, and apricot. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and honey. White grape and yellow raisin. Some white chocolate in there. Orange citrus. Sugar cookie. Almond and macadamia. Butterscotch and malt. Almond butter. Finish: Heavy malt. Orange citrus. Vanilla, toffee, caramel, and honey. Butterscotch and malt. Apple, pear, apricot, white grape, and golden raisin. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. This is pretty good stuff overall. Definitely glad to have nabbed a bottle. It’s solid from nose to finish. The problem is, it just doesn’t do enough to stand out. Both the 12 and the 18 packed more of a punch and had a greater depth of flavor. This one suffered a bit from being too clean, too subtle. Now, I’ll say I scored this at a 3.5 before weighing VFM. I bought this for $100, which was the same price I got the 18-year for at the same store. It’s likely that the price was jacked up on this one because it’s considered rare at this point. Maybe I could’ve got this for closer to $70 back when it was in circulation, and it would’ve hit its mark for VFM no problem. I can’t confirm that though, and at $100, I dinged this a quarter star. 3.25 ain’t too shabby though. Good, but not great.

Pretty solid. Straight up or on the rocks. Indulge if offered, maybe not a spirit to go out of your way for.

Smell was weird smoke maybe couldnt smell anything else. Some harsher taste smoke/char with citrus and caramel perhaps malt. Prefer the 12 or 18 years

Bit thin. Honey. Sweet. Smooth finish.