Tomatin Wood

In their new series ‘Five Virtues’, Tomatin offers some NAS releases, cut to 46%. The series consists of the Earth, Fire, Metal, Water and Wood. I had the chance to pick up two of those and will put them head-to-head. I’ll start with the Wood, followed by the Fire. The wood is a mix of Tomatin matured on French (70%), American (20%) and Hungarian (10%) oak. The casks were put in the warehouse in 1999 and 2006. It has a dark and sweet nose with a bitter edge. I am reminded of toffee, leather and tobacco leaves, but also blood oranges and crème brûlée. It also sports a herbal side. Some green garden herbs and a hint of aniseed. Ginger crops up rather forcefully. It is very creamy on the palate, which I like. You can almost chew it. Immediately very sweet on caramel, candied sugar, rum raisins, cherry liqueur, gingerbread, orangettes and vanilla. Yes, this works nicely. There is still that little green edge that I can only describe as ginger. I get some hazelnuts and tobacco leaves again in the medium long finish, but the green edge never leaves. Lovely interplay between the wood, the sweetness and the spices at a nice strength with a wonderfully creamy body. A pleasant surprise.

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