Intro

In front of us is a Spirit of Scotland bottling from Tomatin Distillery. Distilled in 2013 and bottled in 2026, it’s a 12-year-old expression that has spent its entire maturation in a refill bourbon barrel, before being released at 58.1% ABV.

Back in the 1970s, Tomatin was the largest distillery in Scotland, operating 23 stills and reaching a production capacity of around 12 million litres per year. Let’s see how all of this translates in this single cask bottling!

Review

Tasting notes

When nosing this whisky, I’m presented immediately with orchard fruits, apples, pears and some peach. Brown sugar, almost caramelized, like you have a hot pancake and pour brown sugar on it.

On the palate we get more of caramel, honey and some light gentle cinnamon spice. A slight hint of crème brûlée is also present. The white fruits are also there in the end, a big juicy red apple! The finish is medium, leaving is with more of the caramel notes

Wrap up

This Tomatin bottling had several layers to it and was easy to enjoy. The alcohol was perfectly integrated making it for a very enjoyable drink. This is a drink you can easily enjoy on your own, with friends. However the latter would most likely leave you with not much left at the end of evening…

Score: 86/100