Tomintoul 12 Year Oloroso Cask Finish

Prima whisky

Smells boozy like a cheap whiskey, starts out tasting like black pepper. The sweet notes are faint over the booziness, but noticeable. It has the sweet bitterness of a dark chocolate and ends similarly to one, with a savory coating that lingers on the tongue. The afterburn is nothing to write home about, just feels like heartburn.

Nose: Sweet, raisins, dried fruit, hay Palate: Toffee, sweet, barley sugar, blackcurrant, wisps of smoke, gristy malt Finish: Medium short finish. Orange peel, light smoke, honey. Lightly sour sweetness on the aftertaste. This is a gentle, clean and fresh dram. Easy to drink. Not a standout dram, but a pleasant sipper. #WWD

Sherry and vanilla

Nose: Sherry, dark malt, mixed peel, mixed dried fruit, nutmeg, walnuts, scorched almonds, a touch of vanilla and lots of caramelised sugars. This is a rich, moist, dark fruitcake laced with lots of sherry. Palate: A malty arrival that is remarkably understated. The development expands this simple character with dark sugar, mild chocolate, crème anglaise, nutmeg and other mild spices, nougat and caramel fudge. There are also some very agreeable berry and red grape notes and the texture is creamy with a juicy, mouthwatering quality. Don't add water - it is completely unnecessary. Finish: Medium/long. Pleasantly warming and gentle with a pronounced brown sugar aftertaste. This is obviously 10 year old Tomintoul with additional finishing in some rather buxom oloroso casks. The base profile is precisely the same as the 10 y.o. and the subtle sweet cereal and floral grassy notes, whilst hidden beneath an obscuring blanket of first-fill sherry, still give the expression its essential character. However it is the sherry component that is immediately dominant. The nose is larger than that of the 10 year old and the palate, which starts very slowly, expands gracefully into a surprisingly long finish. This is where the full intensity of the sherry comes forward. It's a placid and slightly unusual progression into a very warm, sweet and lush conclusion, and it would probably be at its best when paired with equally sweet and rich foods rather than taken in isolation. This would make it an excellent substitute for a digestif sauternes or sherry, perhaps with dried fruit and a well-ripened brie or camembert. If that was the intended way of serving this whisky then at the asking price it does represent good value. As an everyday dram however it might be a little cloying. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Average" : 77/100 (2.5 stars)