Murray McDavid Benchmark Tomatin 14 Year Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

Sourced from Tomatin Distillery Cask No. 2000172 Distilled in 2008 Bottled in 2024 Aged in ex-bourbon hogshead for 11 years Finished in first-fill oloroso sherry hogshead for 3 years Age - 14 years 62.8% abv; 125.6 proof Open 2 days Nose - Decadent stewed fruits, candied figs, heavy red wine, raisins, Demerara sugar, fresh baked goods, white pepper, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Mixed berry cobbler, baklava, grilled peaches, orange chocolate, sweet cinnamon, kettle corn, and maple candy. Finish is long with velvety rich dark fruits, molten raisins, dried barley, milk chocolate, movie theater popcorn, rich tobacco, and medium ethanol. This is incredible. I don't know how else to describe it. When you hear figgy pudding or Christmas spice, this is the exactly how you imagine those taste in liquid form. Maybe Troegs The Mad Elf or Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale as cask strength Scotch? The most shocking and pleasant thing about this whiskey is how delicate yet rich it is on the pallet. It is fruity, oily, sweet, and drinks lower than its proof. I really love these cask strength releases from independent bottlers in Scotland. They typically offer amazing value for the ages, finishes, and abv compared to the big distilleries. In my limited experience, this is opposite of what we see in the USA with major distilleries and NDPs. I thought the Mossburn single barrel cask strength picks I've bought in the last 3 years for $70-80 were excellent. However, the two recent Murray McDavid releases I've reviewed are on another level (and another price level as well). The Mystery Malt Glenfarclas 15Y cask strength was my favorite Scotch to date, until this. There are quite a few excellent high proof Scotches from the big distilleries, and almost all are NAS. As much as I like Aberlour A'bunadh, Glenfarclas 105, or Ardbeg Uigeadail, it is clear those have much younger whiskey. Considering the cost of many widely available high proof Scotch whiskeys is around $100, I would struggle to justify purchasing one of those if I see a Murray McDavid, Mossburn, or other IB available. I told myself that anything over $100 is a waste of money, but lately I've been rethinking my position. Not only am I buying a second bottle of this for a gift, there was also a GlenAllachie 15Y Tawny Port Finish that will likely be on my shelf next week.