Tomintoul 21 Year

Butterscotch, fruitcake, tobacco. Good but not wow

Tomintoul is one of those classic super fruity Speysiders that i usually avoid, due to a lack of complexity and/or because they are sometimes a little boring. Having said that, i really had some expectations for this expression since it was a 21 year old single malt, and that guarantees you a certain level; not because 21 years in a cask are necessarily going to make a whisky better than any other, but really because distilleries tend to bottle their best spirits at older ages to offer something that really blows customer's minds. Well, let's see how this one went: Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose it is clean and very floral; Very perfumed. Definitively cherries and fruitcake. Freshly cut apples; Feels like an apple liquor but not sider. Cold fruitcake and fruit spices. After a first sip a solid note of butterscotch appeared along a dim burnt grass aroma. On the palate, honey can be detected easily. Old apples, hay. Very easy and smooth, way too soft. Dried peaches and a very accurate butterscotch hard candy note. Aftertaste is not very appealing, but not bad. Old burnt hay, dry grass, paper. There is a little bitter/tobacco finish, which is not very long. Overall, this was far away from been worthy of anyone's time. An enjoyable, overly easy drinkable whisky that lacks emotion. It is like a sweet butterscotch juice with the most regular aroma and tasting notes ever. Too safe, boring and not memorable, specially when you realize this is a 21yo single malt. It is not expensive at all and there is a reason for that: it is not very interesting. My score for it is 79 over 100.

GLASS: Glencairn Whiskey Glass NOSE: More composed than the 16 year. Citrus notes with subtle paraffin wax. The wood is more prominent as expected. PALATE: Glycerin mouthfeel. Candied orange, herbacous, a hint of cola on the finish. A bit cloying. CONCLUSION: A fine dram but not my personal style.

Solid. Bought an airport bottle for $16

Oaky nose and finish. Green note in the middle

Nose: Fresh-cut hay and grass, barley sugar, orchard fruits, mild soft citrus, a little vanilla. Initially the nose is crisp and tight but with time it develops an earthy, dusty note. There is a faint honey aroma, but it's earthy as well. After some time a fragrance is noticed that is like flowers that have almost decayed. Palate: Soft but very lightly spiced entry. There is a lot of barley sugar, some butterscotch and the flavour of both ripe and unripe fruits in the development. It's not a particularly complex palate but what is there is pleasant. It reminded me of lightly toasted muesli cereal with nuts and dried fruit. The texture is neutral. Finish: Medium/short. Slightly drying at first, then turning sweeter and tailing out to an aftertaste of breakfast cereal sprinkled with cocoa powder and a little sugar. Tomintoul is typically a very soft and approachable whisky ("the gentle dram" is their slogan) but this 21 year old expression has less of the attractive floral and fresh-fruit character that is found in their younger bottlings. There is greater cask influence here, but it's not the aroma of oak cask - it's more like sawdust and pencil shavings, and to be honest it's a bit dull. It's a whisky that takes a while to wake up but with repeated sips the character does eventually unfold and intensify. It remains, however, particularly shy and quiet. It's very easy drinking but curiously lacklustre. I had hoped the distillery character would be complimented by longer time in a cask, but if anything it feels more like it has passed its prime. To give it its due, it is very well crafted with no intrusive off-notes whatsoever. The 16 year old Tomintoul is, for my palate, the peak of the core range and I'd certainly be more willing to buy a bottle of it than this 21 year old, which at twice the price has very little to recommend it. Tasted from a 30ml sampler. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)

Definitely one of my favourites from this line! At its current price point, it is questionable.