Whilst the cat is away, the mice will play! At least that was the case with our Bombay Malt & Cigar gents who enjoyed a trio of whiskies from independent bottlers without me.
Kindly, they decided to share a generous sample of each! They made their way to me in late March and were sampled in two sittings in early April.
The theme was Highland “independents” from two different well-known independent bottlers – Signatory and Gordon & Macphail, mostly acquired via La Maison du Whisky:
- Tomatin Reserve 8 year 2007-2015 (Gordon & Macphail for La Maison du Whisky)
- Ardmore 1993 43% (Gordon & Macphail)
- Benrinnes 18 years (27 Feb 1997 – 28 July 2015) Hogshead 46% (Signatory Vintage for La Maison du Whisky)
Now… I wasn’t going to do this as a simple 1, 2, 3 tasting. Nope! I just so happened to have with me another Benrinnes, recently opened. And was able to dig up from the Whisky samples archive a neglected Ardmore from North Star Spirits.
With the Tomatin I had nothing to compare, so am simply sharing here…
It has been some time since I sat down properly with a whisky from Tomatin.
My last experience with Tomatin was also bottled by Gordon & Macphail. It was a mere sniff swish back at Paris Whisky Live in 2022 – part of introducing their Discovery series. I actually rather enjoyed that one – it had a lovely fruity quality.
This particular expression was part of Gordon & Macphail’s now retired “Reserve” collection. “Reserve” was their previous entry-level range, replaced in 2018 by the “Discovery” series. In this case, it was bottled specifically for La Maison du Whisky.
Tomatin Reserve 8 year 2007–2015 ABV unknown
- Nose – Marshmallows and acetone, then bananas and caramel
- Palate – Generic fruit. Then it has a spice bite! Then sweet. A bit thin.
- Finish – Curious, dry
In short, it had little in common with the more recent Discovery expression. And was honestly a disappointment.
I couldn’t see the ABV but it came across as quite active and potentially higher, whereas typically the “Reserve” range was a lower ABV – I’ve come across some bottled at 40%.
I set it aside, concluding perhaps I simply wasn’t in the mood for a malt, and thought to try again another evening. I didn’t. Which also says something about this dram.
What about other Tomatin experiences? From “Original Bottlings” there was a trio of Legacy 43%,12 year 43%, 14 year Port Wood 46%.
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