Tomatin 15 Year 43% (Discontinued)

This was a pretty lucky find considering it was discontinued about a decade ago based on what information I can dig up on online. The 12 and 18 were both solid, and before I get around to the 14, I’m taking a crack at its predecessor. Let’s check it out. Nose: Honey, caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Apple, pear, and apricot. White grape. Yellow raisin. Orange citrus and floral notes. Butterscotch. Toasted almond and macadamia nut. Sugar cookie. Mocha. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice. Palate: More of the apple, pear, and apricot. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and honey. White grape and yellow raisin. Some white chocolate in there. Orange citrus. Sugar cookie. Almond and macadamia. Butterscotch and malt. Almond butter. Finish: Heavy malt. Orange citrus. Vanilla, toffee, caramel, and honey. Butterscotch and malt. Apple, pear, apricot, white grape, and golden raisin. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. This is pretty good stuff overall. Definitely glad to have nabbed a bottle. It’s solid from nose to finish. The problem is, it just doesn’t do enough to stand out. Both the 12 and the 18 packed more of a punch and had a greater depth of flavor. This one suffered a bit from being too clean, too subtle. Now, I’ll say I scored this at a 3.5 before weighing VFM. I bought this for $100, which was the same price I got the 18-year for at the same store. It’s likely that the price was jacked up on this one because it’s considered rare at this point. Maybe I could’ve got this for closer to $70 back when it was in circulation, and it would’ve hit its mark for VFM no problem. I can’t confirm that though, and at $100, I dinged this a quarter star. 3.25 ain’t too shabby though. Good, but not great.

Appearance: The color of this Scottish fifteen year old is a light straw or white corn color. It is very light for a whisky so old, which leads me to think (though their website doesn’t say) that no artificial coloring is added. The legs too, looking at them in my glass are very thin and watery. Nose: The first impression of the nose is very fruity. Notes of pear, green grapes, and pineapple are present as well as salty brine, light peat smoke, and pine needles. With a splash of water added the nose becomes more (and I would say “too) flowery.” Taste: The palate boasts sweet notes of orange, dry red wine, red apples, and salted almonds. After a splash of water the other notes blend into notes of honey and Sweetarts candy. Finish: There is a medium long finish with an orange citrus aftertaste and a bite before adding any water. Thoughts: This was a delicious and incredibly friendly dram! I loved the higher ABV of 43% and think Tomatin made a great choice there. I would not recommend adding water as it ruined the subtleties of other notes throughout the whisky. To anyone wanting a friendly drink and doesn’t want a fight, this is your dram! (If you can find it; unfortunately it’s discontinued.) Tomatin, thank you friends! Sláinte!

One of the challenges of living in a small town now is the lack of a place like my old bar in Chicago...whiskey list a mile long, cheap tasting pours of anything behind the bar, bar staff who knew their business and loved whiskey passionately. It's a little harder to find that here....but it's a lot easier to stumble across forgotten gems like this at the little liquor stores. See, in Chicago, this probably sold out two years ago or better....here, it sat on a shelf, for $40, and nobody knew what it was. Until I came along and bought this the instant I saw it, because you don't find discontinued whiskies for a great price very often. It's a shame, really, that this one is no longer with us, as it's probably the best Tomatin I've had. While it shares the sweet grain forwardness that define the Dualchas/Legacy and the 12 Year, there's an additional spritely fruitiness to be found, and a lightly sherry-tinged finish. While the 14 Year that replaced this one is good, it's decidedly less complex. If you can find it on a lonely store shelf near you, snap it up before it's too late!

Had the Tomatin 14Y Portwood, not the 15Y. Whisky is called 'softer side of the highlands '. In the nose, a little bit of honey, melon and Apple pie. Taste of dry nuts and sweet dried fruits. A little bit of Apricon and plums.

Smell was weird smoke maybe couldnt smell anything else. Some harsher taste smoke/char with citrus and caramel perhaps malt. Prefer the 12 or 18 years

Disappointing. Not much of a distinctive nose nose and pretty light on taste. Might be my palate but I expected more.