Tomintoul 16 Year

I bought the tasting kit with 10-16-25yo, here's how it went. Nose: 10 is very fresh, you feel it is young. It gives the idea of ​​a stream flowing among flowering plants, with a slight hint of tobacco. Very delicate. The 16th remembers the 10yo, but more full-bodied, vanilla is the main taste. This is also very delicate. With the 25 there is an always very delicate evolution: vanilla, but also wild flowers and fresh fruit, almonds. The low alcohol content makes it even more, as Tomintoul herself defines herself, gentle! Palate: we start from 10, very delicate, but it seems to be a few years older than what it declares. It feels like eating a vanilla ice cream with some hazelnuts and a few pieces of fresh fruit. Pleasant oily texture. Good dram. The 16 is just as delicate, and recalls the 10 but with a hint of licorice and greater oiliness. Very good dram! The 25 is undoubtedly more full-bodied, but it loses some of the gentleness of smell and offers wood and vanilla, nuts and tobacco. Final: 10 is short and confirms the excellent balance, leaving a pleasant hint of flowers and vanilla. The finish of the 16 is slightly more bitter than the 10, short. The ending of 25 is longer, but also more bitter than the other 2. Conclusions: for me the 16yo wins, for the pleasure it gave me, followed almost on a par by the 10, which remembers him a lot, and then the 25: among the 25yo I tried there are much better! Rates: 16yo 4.25 - 10yo 4.00 - 25yo 3.75 ________________________________________________________ Ho acquistato il kit di degustazione con 10-16-25yo, ecco come è andata. Naso: il 10 è molto fresco, si sente che è giovane. Da l’idea di un ruscello che scorre in mezzo a piante da fiore, con leggero sentore di tabacco. Molto delicato. Il 16 lo ricorda, ma più corposo, la vaniglia la fa da padrona. Anche questo molto delicato. Con il 25 si ha una evoluzione sempre delicatissima: vaniglia, ma anche fiori di campo e frutta fresca, mandorle. Il basso grado alcolico lo rende ancora di più, come la stessa Tomintoul si definisce, gentile! Palato: partiamo dal 10, delicatissimo, ma sembra avere qualche anno di più di quelli che dichiara. Sembra di mangiare un gelato alla vaniglia con qualche nocciola e qualche pezzettino di frutta fresca. Consistenza oleosa piacevole. Buon dram. Il 16 è altrettanto delicato, e ricorda il 10 ma con una punta di liquirizia ed una maggiore oleosità. Ottimo dram. Il 25 è indubbiamente più corposo, ma perde un po’ della gentilezza dell’olfatto e propone legno e vaniglia, noci e tabacco. Finale: il 10 è breve e conferma l’ottimo equilibrio lasciando un piacevole sentore di fiori e vaniglia. Il finale del 16 è leggermente più amarognolo del 10, breve. Il finale del 25 è molto più lungo, ma anche più amarognolo degli altri 2. Conclusioni: per me vince il 16yo, per la piacevolezza che mi ha regalato, seguito quasi alla pari dal 10, che lo ricorda molto, e poi il 25: tra i 25yo che ho provato ce ne sono di nettamente migliori! I voti: 16yo 4,25 - 10yo 4,00 - 25yo 3,75

Rating: 12/23 N: The nose is oilier and richer than that of Tomintoul 10. That's promising, but it still isn't very rich and doesn't smell that great. There's a bit of an unpleasant bitterness here and still lots of cereal. It's perhaps a bit like fumes from the plant making wheaties? A little sweetness is present though. It isn't very interesting. P: It's light despite the added age. There's some grain that leads into that Tominoul cereal flavor that is a bit sweet and almost chalky and can't be escaped. It has a bit of an alcohol presence as well, which definitely turns me off of it. I'd say that the richness that brings in some caramel and a dash of malt improves upon the flavor of the 10, but it isn't really a different beast. There are faint allusions to fruit, sort of like that classic Irish whiskey apricot flavor just a tad, but they get mixed in with the alcohol, of which there is a fair amount, disappointingly. There's a tad of oily nuttiness, but it isn't very pronounced. Maybe the char smoke, coconut, mint, lemon peel, and vanilla that Distiller cites are all getting mixed into the alcoholic oiliness that I'm tasting, but if so, they aren't very good flavors. F: The alcohol fortunately disappears, leaving mainly slightly rich cereal with a bit of oil. It isn't bad, but it isn't what I want from my whiskey. Still, the reduced alcohol flavor matters a lot because it helps to salvage the part of this that actually was a regression from the 10. Not an interesting or enjoyable finish though. I'd say that this is better than the Tomintoul 10, but not by a whole lot, sadly. The 10 has a more pure flavor, while this focuses on making up for its pathetic weakness. This could be a 12, but no higher. I'm thinking an 11. Dalwhinnie 15 sadly has a lot more going on than this does. Dalwhinnie 15 is sort of half way between this and Oban Little Bay. I'm going 10 on this because it really is not very good. The oiliness in particular seems out of place; it would be more welcome in a blanco tequila. It actually reminds me a fair amount of Bushmill's 10 with its lightness, oiliness, and hint of fruit, but this is definitely a step up in all dimensions. The cereal that persists throughout is not something I'm a fan of, but it wouldn't stop me from drinking this if offered. Still, the 10 is a bit more nuanced, despite being rougher around the edges. I'm torn between 11 and 12 here, but I think I'll give it the bump to 12. Not a bad whisky, but I expect a lot more from a 16 year old. Still, for $60, one could do a lot worse. I'd take it over two Ainsley Brae Burgundies for sure.

Tasted from a miniature three-pack that includes the 10yo and 25yo. The nose is the best thing about it: toast with jam, fig chutney, raisin, red wine, dusty crumbled walnut, and chocolate. It is a little thin on the palate (but that could be expected at 40%) and it tastes better when left to open for 20 minutes or more, with notes of fig roll, a little salt, and some oak spice. The finish is dry and a little tannic. It is almost sherryish in its profile or I could swear there was perhaps a red wine finish in there somewhere, but I was a little surprised to learn that it is ex-bourbon cask matured only. I purchased the pack in 2017 and tried the 10yo the following year. I was fairly underwhelmed and so, with many other options, it dampened my eagerness to try the remaining bottles from the set. I was right to be reluctant. Unless anyone can recommend it, I may need another 4 or 5 years to build up to trying the 25yo.

Nose is forward orange peel and dried apricots with vanilla. Spice note buried deep in the background like ginger nut biscuits maybe peat as well but way down in the noise floor if there at all. Taste is initially sweet and full. Almost buttery...with citrus notes and a hint of peat. Not a super long finish and the sweet rush quickly moves to a tart and spicy finish but very much controlled. No real sharp edges here. This is a largely a subdued and refined dram. I like it but its not outstanding in any particular way - minus the mouth feel. For the price its solid but I would find it hard to recommend. Having said that it is probably not a bad place to start if you are new to single malts - it won't spook the horses. Thanks to Cascode for the sample.

A Friday night after "the longest week ever" is the perfect time for "the gentle dram," Tomintoul 16 Speyside Glenlivet. Crafted by distiller Robert Fleming, this scotch is aged in select bourbon casks for at least 16 years. Its nose reminds me of candied apricots, barley and crackers. With time, a sweet, fruity expression unfolds like a banana split with hot caramel drizzle. Like a good Speyside, this is a gentle scotch indeed. The mouthfeel is full bodied with a blend of light smoke, vanilla and ripe pear. This is one to enjoy neat. The finish is subtle with apple and oak. It's a very smooth dram that like a Houdini trick, disappears too quickly. While it doesn't dazzle with too much flair, I find its simple gentleness comforting. 8/10

Rapid side-to-side nosing reveals berry notes! A straight nose dip into the glass lends to bourbon-cask and white grape notes. Palate at 40% ABV is coconut and malt. Tasty combo, but not terribly complex. Low ABV does, however, acquiesce to bigger sips! Light and refreshing. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."