Tomatin 25 Year Old

This bottle was opened 5-7-2012. There is currently 4 fingers left.

This is a bottle I picked up thanks to @rwbenjey. He clued me into a store in the Nashville area selling this as a close out. I think it cost around $75 for a 25 year old single malt (fantastic age for money ratio). The question is . . . is this worth it?

Nose: Rich ripe dark fruits greet the nose: plumbs, strawberries, concord grapes, raspberries, dates, prunes, and pomegranates. There is certainly a sherry influence here., and also a strong sense of apple cider. There is an interesting back and forth between the sweet and sour fruit notes. You start with the sour grapes and prunes, but you also have that sweet flavor associated with dark fruits like grapes, and plumbs. Oh, ya that is Concord grapes from my mom’s back yard. There is plenty of malt here as well. It also smells like a pez dispenser . . . Now sour notes of lemons, but then right back to the malt. There is prune juice and maybe a hint of cran-pomegranate. Now I’m getting those chocolate covered raisin candies. With water way more of the fruit is coming out.

Taste: Sweet berries of all types and varieties – but mostly the red and purple kind. Now maybe some kiwi? Or pineapple? Definitely some citrus. It is doing the sweet and then sour thing very nicely. It is like sour lemons saved from going to far by dark fruits that bring you back just shy of being too sour. There is also a bit of malt and grass.

Finish: There is an intake of breath and here comes a gentle wave of malt and fruit. A slight pop of grapes and then it slowly fades to all those notes on the nose: raisins, sour grapes, prunes, pez, Concord grapes, lemons, pomegranates, etc. Not a bad fade for a 25yo. I’m impressed even if the finish “wave” was small. It was the complexity in harmony with the nose that I enjoy.

Complexity, Balance: I’ll give it some points for complexity. There is a depth of complexity to the nose and taste. It really evokes tons of fruits both sweet and sour. And that sweet/sour dance really makes things balanced if not all that exciting. It is certainly a decent expression of what an older single malt can do. While it does tend to err on the sour side there are still those complex dark sweet fruits to pull it back.

Aesthetic experience: I hate this bottle. The red color is horrible. The lettering is horrible. It actually looks really cheap. The only thing I like is the age statement and the bottle shape. I guess it could be way worse at 40%. Still . . . I like the redesigned package better. The price was good . . . but that is only because it was on clearance. = 2.5

Conclusion: I think you would be hard pressed to guess this as a 25 year old malt. It does seem younger then 20 years. My sense is that the cask involvement was minimal. It was a fun experience, but I wouldn’t buy it again . . . even on sale.

The first time I tasted this Tomatin 25 Year Old was at a Tomatin Tasting with the very funny Graham Nicholson, back in April 2011. It was so good that I purchased the remainder of the bottle to take home with me. I’ve enjoyed it quite a few times (as has Dearly Beloved), but did not yet get round to writing proper notes. Before the bottle is empty, let me correct that.

The nose is wonderfully fruity, almost exotic without the ‘almost’. Pineapple in the lead, yellow apples, white pears, orange zest, hints of nuts and banana. After a few minutes a hint of smoke and infusion of lime tea. Splash of resin. Hint of wine gums. Soft, but not a softy, if you get my meaning.

Nice attack with mild spices, on fruit, honey and mint with a distinct bitter, but not oaky, touch of the wood. Again that exotic side on the palate, primarily kiwi. Midpalate, it does turn somewhat dry on nuts. Liquorice. Tea again, that has infused a tad too long. Good stuff.

The finish lingers on fruit, with some oak and yellow apples as high notes.

The bottle, costing around 105 EUR, will not be available for long, since it has been replaced with the new 30 Year old. This 25 Year Old was as good as I remember from almost a year back.

Another nose similar to my Clynelish experience. When this stuff hits your palate it starts off very smooth and creamy, then the spice explodes. In my opinion, it's quite the punch for a whisky at 43%. The finish stays for a decent amount of time going from sweet fruit to sea salt as the mouth dries. I thought this was a very interesting bottle. Somewhat similar to some of the Springbank offerings.

This expression will be discontinued shortly, so get it while you can.

This Tomatin matured the full 25 years in refill bourbon casks and has a wonderful nose: ripe pears, blackcurrent and gooseberries.

Unfortunatly, the nose promises much more than the palate can deliver. A bit watery and drying. It tastes primarily of sweet honey and nuts.

The finish is subtle and dry.

This one started off beautifully, but didn't quite deliver.