PBMichiganWolverine
Tomatin 12 Year Bourbon & Sherry Casks
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
December 22, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
So my second dram of the night. Might be a first for me. Normally it's just one dram on a Friday and one on Sunday ( post work week de-stress and prework week pick me up). But tonight it's two. Yeah, pushing the envelope to borderline party crazy here. First thing I just realized is that my palette and olfactory senses should've been cleansed before going to this, right after the first dram. I should've known better. It reminds me of when I was 26, doing my semester study abroad for my MBA in Paris at the Sorbonne. I stopped by a perfumerie on the Isle de la Cite, called L'Artisan De Perfumer. I had no intention of buying the overly pricey perfumes considering I'm on a student account, but there was this beautiful salesperson I was hoping to get the attention. I'm going from perfume to perfume smelling it, and she brings out a bowl of roasted coffee beans. I take a handful, put it in my mouth and chew. Almost broke a damn molar. She then says in that lovely (albeit snobbish) French accent "monsieur, the coffee bean is to smell, not eat. Maybe monsieur meant to go to a cafe instead ?" Anyway...back to present time...I should've cleansed my palette before having this, cause all I got was breakfast cereals. With a twist of lemon. Thanks to Lee, another sample as part of our sampling team. Oh...and to end the story...I ended up getting engaged to Nathalie, the perfumerie clerk. And roasted coffee beans taste horrible, but smell amazing.
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@The_Rev totally agree. Great VFM, especially for those that squirm at the taste of Ardbegs and Lagavulin
Tomatin 12 is worth it just to have heard this story. "Breakfast cereal with a lemon squeeze" is pretty much entry level Tomatin's thing. They have one of the most cereal-like distillery characteristics I've encountered; maybe a bit too simple in the younger stuff, but more well aged stock (or items that see some finishing cask work) from Tomatin can be great value for money.
Hah, hah - OK, style recovery :-)
@cascode yeah, instead I went back the following day and asked "Je ne veux pas le parfum, mais je voulais manger un peu plus de ce café. combien ça coûte?". I don't want the perfume, but wanted to chew some more coffee. How much is it?
"Mam'selle, I saw you and lost all control" - missed an opportunity there, bro :-)
Great review and story, PB. It’s always enjoyable when someone turns what would’ve been a simple “it’s okay, but Meh” review into a page turning story about an experience while drinking said mediocre dram. PS- this was a cask strength Tomatin and there is a listing on Distiller for those. Granted this wasn’t much more interesting than the normal ABV 12 year. Cheers.
😂