I was rather excited to see this bottle sitting on shelves here in Virginia recently. I’ve grown quite fond of Tomatin over the last year or so. The 12 year, 14 year port finished, 12 year French Oak and the stellar Cu Bocan all delivered the goods they advertised while also being great deals. So, yeah, to say I was excited to see the 18 year old locally for a very reasonable $80 is an understatement. It’s a beautiful caramel in color, comes in at a nice 46% and brags about Oloroso Sherry Casks on the label. Non-chill filtered and no colorant added. Check. All signs point to another big BIG winner. On the nose, heavy toffee and caramel candies start the show, sherry notes mingle with a hint of smoke just before yielding to the oak. Smelling good. The palate is where things fall apart: the mouthfeel is thin, almost watery. There’s vanilla and honey, even a bit of milk chocolate, but it turns abrasive and dry way too quickly. The abrasive feel, heat and overwhelming dryness really turn everything on it’s heels and catches you by surprise. The finish is long, peppery and dry. It had a wonderful oily look to it sitting in the glass but then, like David Copperfield, it’s pulled out from under your nose and disappears. In the end, I’m still a Tomatin fanboy. For $45 you can’t beat Cu Bocan and I’ve got a cask strength, single barrel 12 year to put through it’s paces, but this one falls short. Being the most expensive of all the bottles I listed above also hurts this one. It’s serviceable, but not really recommended. 3.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.