Tomintoul 18 years old: daily dram from the Livet valley
In this Spirit of Speyside Festival week I go back to my own visit to that festival, in 2019, where we also called on the Tomintoul Distillery. Founded in 1965, this was one of the newer distilleries in Scotland before the whisky boom of this century began. You can see it in the architecture, which is not really the prettiest to look at, but it gets the job done. The location in the rugged highlands is something of pure beauty. In the history of Scotch single malt whisky, there are a lot of distilleries that at one time presented themselves with the affix “Glenlivet”, even though the production sites were far removed from the actual Glen of Livet. Tomintoul is one of the very few exceptions, together with Tamnavulin and of course The Glenlivet. It somehow rubs off on the quality of the whisky, which is ultra sweet, ultra clean and very accessible. The high tea I enjoyed at the distillery, that beautiful day in the spring of 2019, is not easily forgotten. For the occasion of the Spirit of Speyside Festival, I got myself a sample.
Tomintoul 18 years old, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Not much information to be found on cask makeup, but this is a 2019 bottling. It came in a gift pack along with two glasses.
Upon Sipping: A fruity nose, fermenting fruits as well, very rich in style. Very elegant and seductive. You may want to sink your teeth in a nice sponge cake when you start nosing this. Minty hints as well, which is a little bit too much contrast with the fruit, but it does not turn into an off-note. On the palate, the weakness of the 40 % dilution shows, that is a pity, but the elegance remains. This is a classic Speyside whisky, or indeed a whisky from the Livet valley. There is a bitterness that gives this Tomintoul a brooding side as well, but let’s assume this brings some complexity to an otherwise very straightforward sipper. Maybe it is not so much a bitter note, rather an over the top nuttiness, that suggests some sherry casks were added to the mix. On repeated nosing, this minty aroma gets stronger. With water, more sweetness is released onto the palate, and also some more bready notes.
Word to the Wise: Not the easiest malt at this abv. With a little more alcohol, even just 43 %, this would be a more impressive whisky. As it stands, some of the value of 18 years maturation is diminished by how this whisky was brought to the market. A good daily dram, nonetheless.
Score: 82 points.
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