Tomintoul Distillery Core Range – Virtual Tasting
In our last post we focused on our tasting with the Angus Dundee Distillers and Glencadam. As part of that series we have also been fortunate to taste the Tomintoul core range. Once again hosted by Iain, this evening focused on the peated expressions in their 10, 16, and 21 y/o age statements.
*The samples mentioned below, were kindly gifted to us by the team at Angus Dundee*
Distillery History
Built in 1964 Tomintoul use traditional methods in order to create their whisky and ensure it reflects their surroundings in the Cairngorms.
Their website is full of really interesting history and information – we highly recommend a poke about! – https://www.tomintoulwhisky.com/tom-about
Tasting Notes
Once again we were joined by a small group of whisky enthusiasts and our lovely host Iain. From the very beginning of the tasting, Iain was upfront about the fact that these Tomintoul expressions have added caramel colouring and therefore we would not be focusing on the colours.
Much with the previous tasting focusing on Glencadam – the idea behind this evening was to introduce us to their core range, and understand the house-style of the distillery.
Each of these expressions are 100% bourbon cask matured.
Tomintoul 10 y/o – 40% ABV
Nose: freshly cut grass, creamy, nutty with citrus zest, apple and raw fruit cake mix with toffee popcorn
Palate: creamy, buttery, honey with toffee walnuts
Finish: stem ginger dipped in milk chocolate with citrus rind and hints of oak
Plenty of fresh notes mixing well with the creamy, buttery undertones make this a great starting point for those who aren’t too sure they like peated whisky.
Tomintoul 16 y/o – 40% ABV
Nose: nutty, apple fruit cake, burnt orange peel (Old Fashioned garnish), bread and butter pudding and hints of Bakewell tart
Palate: fresh, minty edge, citrus peel, orange oil, certainly creamy and little charcoal
Finish: coffee beans, oaky spice and poached pear
Quite a sweet dram this has lots of flavour. The flavours are bolder providing more bite for a more seasoned whisky drinker! This should absolutely be a staple for any whisky shelf.
Tomintoul 21 y/o – 40% ABV
Nose: dried cranberry, sour apple, strawberry compote, bowl of nuts, lots of creamy notes and hints of wood polish
Palate: creamy, caramelised apple, burnt sugar, burnt meringue tops, cinder toffee
Finish: coffee beans coated in dark chocolate, a long finish
This is a very warm and cosy dram, something you should consider alongside the Glenfarclas 15 y/o for the Christmas season. The nose, palate and finish are more grown up as the oak has changed some of the sweeter notes from the 10 y/o and 16 y/o into slightly more bitter and “adult” notes. This was my favourite and I am certainly on the look out to get a bottle.
Final Thoughts
Once again a huge thank you to Iain, Ben, and the team at Tomintoul and Glencadam. A very enjoyable zoom call, during a time when many of us are feeling the zoom fatigue!
Both tastings have absolutely served their purpose, and we feel much better acquainted with their house-style whisky. We’re looking forward to seeing some of their more limited and experimental expressions in the future.
Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts are on these distilleries!
The Dram Duo 
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