Core range changes: Tasting Tomatin Triple Cask
Those who follow me longer than today, know that I am a devoted fan of the Tomatin Distillery. Recently, I noticed a change in the wind, when they refreshed their core range. It seems that the lower end of the range gets a bigger size label that covers more of the bottle. But that is just optics. There are also slight nudges on the offerings. An extra “no age stated” release next to the Legacy is the Double Oak, which by now should be the most recognisable name for any bottling, so Tomatin just follows suit. We also see the return of a quite regular 10 years old on bourbon casks. Up until the 1990s, Tomatin had only the 10 years old as a core range release, before switching to 12 years old with the beautiful black tube around 2003. A 12 years old expression remains part of the range, but is now also a Triple Cask. That is the one we taste today. As a collector of the core range bottles of Tomatin, I recently acquired for the first time a 10 years old with a golden label AND a tube. Quite rare, but the market is cooling down, so this is the time to stock up. I felt very lucky!
Tomatin 12 years old – Triple Cask, bottled at 43 % abv
First things first: Triple wood maturation with the use of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and refill casks. Should be a pretty balanced mix. Mit Farbstoff, which breaks my heart a little. A clean whisky does not need colouring. Tomatin uses a new slogan: “to what matters”. I would start with keeping it authentic, dear Tomatin.
Upon Sipping: Is this bottling the result of Graham Eunson leaving the company in May 2025, retiring well-deservedly after 34 years in the industry? In any case, his signature is still on the bottle. When I stick my nose in the glass, it remains instantly recognisable as my beloved Tomatin, with all the heather, warm apples, pear, lemons and grasses. What is perhaps more pronounced than before, is the strong smell of oak, pine sap, sandalwood. Maybe a tad too much, if you ask me. Taking a sip, the Tomatin Triple Cask is soft on the palate, with slight fruity notes, displaying as always the gentle side of the highlands. The finish delivers more of a kick, with again a strong wooded flavour, and a delicate signature of peat. Lovely malty notes on repeated sipping.
Word to the Wise: To me it seems the oak signature has increased, and to be honest, I believe this is a bit over the top. On the other hand it remains totally recognisable Tomatin. Their core range releases used to be a more characterful Highland single malt. While this Triple Cask is a fine dram, it has also straddled to the middle of the road.
Score: 81 points.