Tomintoul 12 Year Oloroso Cask Finish

What travesty to hand this thing an expert score of 75! It deserves better. Fruit cake and walnut on the nose with a touch of baking spice - balanced and evocative of a holiday dessert. The palate has touches of caramel candy and honey. A good dessert whisky.

While on vacation, we had dinner with an old friend from college, who I hadn't seen in more than 8 years! Not only did he and his girlfriend cook us a delicious meal, they also introduced us to a great but underappreciated scotch (at least here in the U.S., where it's not widely available). Tomintoul is located in the Highlands, actually within the bounds of Cairngorms National Park. It bills itself as "the gentle dram," which is similar to the branding of Dalwhinnie, a fellow Highland scotch. Tomintoul's nose greets you with caramel macchiato, malt, and apple. With a sip, I detect light vanilla cream, apple, and confectioners sugar. The sherry emerges on the finish. Wow, the distillery needs to bottle this scotch at 46% to 48%. It would be a stunner in that ABV range. Where it’s available, it’s priced reasonably around $45, which represents great value.

6.5