Tomatin Unveils Trio Of Whiskies In Sherry Collection

Highland distillery Tomatin has released a limited edition trio of single malt whiskies which they are calling The Sherry Collection, using sherry butts of Manzanilla, Palo Cortado, and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sourced from Jerez in Spain in the maturation process. Tomatin’s Manzanilla Edition was finished for two years in Manzanilla butts, bottled at 46% alcohol […]

The post Tomatin Unveils Trio Of Whiskies In Sherry Collection first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Highland distillery Tomatin has released a limited edition trio of single malt whiskies which they are calling The Sherry Collection, using sherry butts of Manzanilla, Palo Cortado, and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sourced from Jerez in Spain in the maturation process.

Tomatin’s Manzanilla Edition was finished for two years in Manzanilla butts, bottled at 46% alcohol by volume (92 proof), is said to offer notes of grapefruit, maple and walnut and is being made available for $85 per bottle.

Tomatin’s Palo Cortado Edition was finished for three years in Palo Cortado butts, also bottled at 46% alcohol by volume (92 proof), is said to offer notes of milk chocolate, orange and toffee and is being made available for $125 per bottle.

Tomatin’s Pedro Ximénez Edition is the Collection’s creme de la creme, being finished for a whopping eight years in PX butts, again bottled at 46% alcohol by volume (92 proof), is said to offer notes of fig, lemon and toffee and is being made available for $195 per bottle.

The post Tomatin Unveils Trio Of Whiskies In Sherry Collection first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Whisky Passion on Display at The Heart Cut

The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent… Read More

The wife and husband team of Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni gave up their day jobs last year to launch The Heart Cut, an independent bottler dedicated to finding great drams from all over the world. They’ve released seven single casks so far from distilleries in Israel, Finland, Denmark, and the U.S., and did it all while Georgie was pregnant with twins. We’ll talk with Georgie Bell about The Heart Cut and work-life balance this week on WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Irish Whiskey tourism is up from a year ago, but still below pre-pandemic levels, while sales are lagging at Möet Hennessy and Rémy Cointreau. 

Episode 1067: July 28, 2024

Links: The Heart Cut | Irish Whiskey Association | GlenDronach Distillery | Spirits Canada | Liquor Control Board of Ontario | Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards | New Orleans Spirits Competition | Murray McDavid | Tomatin | Glencadam | 15 Stars Whiskey | World Whiskey Society | Johnnie Walker | The Glenrothes | Highland Park | Torabhaig

Photo courtesy The Heart Cut.

Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | July 26, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The Highland distillery of Tomatin has launched a new limited edition trio of single malts. Tomatin - The Sherry Collection showcases the distillery's historic use of ex-sherry casks and features maturation in three different styles. These are Manzanilla, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez. They have been created by Scott Adamson, the Head Blender for Tomatin. All are bottled at 46% ABV and are both non-chill filtered and of natural colour.

The Manzanilla Edition was distilled in 2014 and has seen a final two-year finishing period in ex-Manzanilla sherry casks. It will cost £65. The Palo Cortado Edition was distilled in 2008 and features a three-year finishing period in ex-Palo Cortado sherry casks. It will cost £95. The Pedro Ximenez Edition is the oldest expression in the trilogy and is bottled at 17 years of age. It features a lengthy eight year secondary maturation in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. They are released to selected world markets and are also available now on the Tomatin website.

 

The Singleton Scotch whisky single malt brand has announced a new core range that will be exclusive to the travel retail market - The Singleton Gardens of Abundance Collection. The new series features four expressions, each featuring a different cask make-up. These are named Radiant Spring Garden, Golden Autumn Orchard, Exotic Spice Grove, and Deep Forest Riches. All have been distilled at the Glendullan distillery in Speyside and are released with no age stated. The whiskies have been created by Dr. Craig Wilson, the Master Blender for The Singleton.
 
Radiant Spring Garden (40% ABV) has been solely matured in American white oak barrels and will cost £55. Golden Autumn Orchard (41.8% ABV) is double matured in ex-bourbon and American white oak casks and will cost £80. Exotic Spice Grove (42.8% ABV) is triple matured and features in ex-red wine and rejuvenated casks before being married in reserve oak casks - this will cost £150. Deep Forest Riches (44.8% ABV and pictured, above) boasts a four-cask maturation with intitial maturation in European oak before finishing in ex-Marsala wine, and ex-Palo Cortado and ex-Pedro Ximenex sherry casks. It will cost £220.

The prices for each bottling will vary slightly in different markets. The Singleton Gardens of Abundance Collection will be available from August in selected world airports including Delhi, Dubai, London Heathrow and Singapore.

 

The Glasgow-based King's Inch whisky brand has announced the first-ever age statement single malt in its range - the King's Inch 8 years old. The whisky has been created by owners Courageous Spirits, who have selected a Lowland single malt that has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and ex-Oloroso sherry butts and then vatted them together. There are just 1,500 bottles available. The King's Inch 8 years old is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It is available via www.kingsinch.com and selected retailers in the UK. A bottle will cost £49.
 
 

The Highland distillery of Glendronach has revealed a new look for its core range that features updated bottle design and packaging. The modernisation is designed to highlight the distillery's heritage and location in rural Aberdeenshire, plus its historic use of ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for maturation. The core range of single malts aged 12-, 15- and 18-years old remains the same, as does the liquid inside the bottles.

News of a forthcoming ultra-premium core range has also been announced. This will feature 21-, 30- and 40-years old expressions. More details of the whiskies and the release date will follow later in 2024. To compliment to new look the brand has teamed up with renowned photographer Rankin, who has created a series of images inspired by the distillery and Spain.


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Tomatin Brings Out The Antiquary

Highland distillery Tomatin has released a trio of blended Scotch whiskies under their Antiquary label, which was purchased by Tomatin in 1996. The whiskies consist of The Antiquary 15 Year Old, The Antiquary 21 Year Old and The Antiquary 30 Year Old – all made using a blend of Highland and Speyside malts with Lowland […]

The post Tomatin Brings Out The Antiquary first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Highland distillery Tomatin has released a trio of blended Scotch whiskies under their Antiquary label, which was purchased by Tomatin in 1996.

The whiskies consist of The Antiquary 15 Year Old, The Antiquary 21 Year Old and The Antiquary 30 Year Old – all made using a blend of Highland and Speyside malts with Lowland grains – the 15-year-old finished in Bordeaux red wine claret casks [with notes said to resemble ‘rhubarb, tamarind, raspberry and vanilla’], the 21-year-old finished in tawny Port casks sourced from Portugal [with notes said to suggest ‘spiced plum, wild strawberries, dark chocolate and orange’] and the 30-year-old was matured for more than three years in sherry casks sourced from Jerez in Spain with notes offered as ‘tropical fruits, smoked bacon and heather honey’. All three blended whiskies were bottled at 40% alcohol by volume [80 proof].

The Tomatin Antiquary range is being made available, per bottle, for $55 [15-year-old], $125 [21-year-old] and $350 for the 30-year-old.

The post Tomatin Brings Out The Antiquary first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | June 28, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The English distillery of White Peak has announced the second single malt whisky that will form its core range - the Wire Works Bourbon Barrel. It is the first bottling to use 100% first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, which are sourced from the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky, and features the oldest whisky to date. The new whisky will join the Caduro as a permanent expression in the core range.

The Wire Works Bourbon Barrel is bottled at 53.5% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available from the distillery shop in Derbyshire and via www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk. It will also be available in selected specialist spirits retailers throughout the UK and several other world markets. A bottle will cost £65.
 
"Bourbon Barrel is a signature whisky for us, elevating our house style and showcasing our flavour elements; our Derbyshire home, lightly-peated malt barley, fresh local Brewer’s yeast, long fermentation and slow distillation."
Max Vaughan | Co-founder of White Peak.



The Highland distillery of Tomatin has launched a limited edition 20-year-old single cask whisky to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival - the Tomatin 2003 Festival Edition 20 years old. The music and art festival has grown to be one of Scotland's largest and takes places on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity near Inverness. 
 
The single malt was distilled in 2003 and has been matured in a single first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry cask for two decades. It has been bottled at 49% ABV and the cask has yielded just 153 bottles. They will be available to purchase at the festival and Tomatin distillery visitor centre, plus via www.tomatin.com and a handful of local retailers. A bottle will cost £300.
 
 

The reborn north Highland distillery of Brora has this week officially celebrated its third birthday, meaning the first casks that were filled in 2021 are now legally Scotch whisky. To commemorate this achievement the distillery has announced the release of a special bottling taken from some of the last maturing stock from before its closure in 1983 - the Brora 44 years old: Untold Depths.
 
The spirit for this bottling was distilled in 1977, a time when the distillery was experiementing with higher peat levels in their malt. It has been matured in a single ex-bourbon cask (Cask #2637) for over four decades in the distillery's legendary Warehouse No.1. This cask has yielded just 150 bottles at a strngth of 49.1% ABV. These will only be available to collect in person at the Brora distillery from early July onwards. Each will cost £10,000.
 
"Untold Depths is a classic pairing of a gentle cask and medium peating which explores the full depth of taste of which Brora is capable. It is a whisky from a bygone era that is helping us look to the future."
Dr. Craig Wilson | Master Blender for Brora.



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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 24, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The award-winning Islay blended malt of Big Peat has announced a special limited edition for this year's Fèis Ìle festival. Big Peat The Thropaigeach Edition has seen the whisky finished in ex-rum casks that were hand-selected by the blending team at brand owner Douglas Laing & Co. The bottle-only release, which is designed to reduce secondary packaging, features a bespoke design of Big Peat dressed as a pirate to portray the rum and tropical themes.

There will be various sampling events for the whisky during the forthcoming Islay Festival and more details can be found at www.douglaslaing.com. The Thropaigeach Edition has been released in limited quantities and at 48% ABV. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour, and will be available in selected markets including Asia, Europe and the UK. A bottle will cost £65/€75.



The Highland distillery of Tomatin have announced a new addition to their single malt core range - the Tomatin Sherry Cask 12 years old. The new whisky has seen full maturation in ex-sherry casks sourced from Jerez in southern Spain and has been created by Scott Adamson, the Master Blender for Tomatin. It has been bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in selected markets globally. It is also the first bottling to feature a revamped packaging design. A bottle will cost £52. For further information - please click here.




The Speyside distillery of Glen Moray have added two new limited edition expressions to their award-winning Warehouse 1 Collection. This series showcases some of the more unorthodox barrels that are maturing at Glen Moray. The Glen Moray Peated Rioja Finish (pictured, above right) mixes the distillery's rare smoky spirit with some of its earliest experiments with red wine casks. It is bottled at 11 years old and was distilled in 2012. The natural strength is 58.8% ABV.
 
It is joined by the Glen Moray Rioja Finish (pictured, above left) is eight years old and sees the classic Speyside spirit combined with red wine casks. It was distilled in 2015 and is bottled at the natural strength of 59.8% ABV. The casks for both releases were sourced from the famous Rioja wine region in northern Spain. Both whiskies will be available in selected world markets including France, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and USA. The prices and exact quantities were not revealed in the press release.



The Ayrshire field-to-cask farm distillery of Lochlea have announced the forthcoming release of the Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 2. This second batch is both older and features different casks to the inaugural release from last year. The batch features a cask make up not seen before in previous releases from the distillery - ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry (60% of the marriage) and ex-Oloroso sherry (28%) butts, plus STR ez-wine barriques (12%). 
 
The new whisky is bottled at 60% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available in selected specialist whisky retailers in the UK and other markets. Bottles will be available from early June and will cost £66.50 each.


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Review | Cù Bòcan Creation #6

This whisky is the sixth bottling in Creations Series from the peated Highland single malt brand of Cù Bòcan (pronounced koo-bock-un). The Cù Bòcan Creation #6. joins the series, which uses unorthodox cask combinations to create unique flavour profile…



This whisky is the sixth bottling in Creations Series from the peated Highland single malt brand of Cù Bòcan (pronounced koo-bock-un). The Cù Bòcan Creation #6. joins the series, which uses unorthodox cask combinations to create unique flavour profiles. In this case the casks are 9-year-old ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and 10-year-old ex-Jamaican rum casks, which have been fused together to create the final whisky. 

Cù Bòcan spirit is distilled for a short period each winter at the Tomatin distillery. Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands, about half way between Aviemore and Inverness. It was founded in 1897 by a group of Inverness businessmen and was originally named Tomatin Spey. In 1907, it became Tomatin, the name of the local village. Tomatin is currently owned by the Takara Shuzo Corporation, who purchased the distillery in 1986. It has a current annual capacity of five million litres.

The Cù Bòcan Creations #6 is a small batch of just 8,400 bottles and they are available in selected world markets. It is released at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. A bottle will cost £60.

Our Tasting Notes

The colour is vibrant gold and the nose is highly aromatic and expressive. Aromas of golden syrup and crystallised pineapple leap out of the glass alongside a whiff of savoury peat smoke. Further aromas of rum soaked raisins, gingerbread and milk chocolate are also present, as are hints of caramelised peach, plum compote and a pinch of cinnamon.

On the palate this whisky is big, bold and uplifting. The peat smoke is much more prominent now than on the nose. This has a soft and savoury edge, which is reminiscent of dried heather and bonfire embers. It becomes slightly more peppery towards the finish and this adds extra depth. The smoke is compliments by some luscious fruity and sweet notes.

Dark dried fruit and tropical notes lead the way. There are notes of rum soaked sultana and chocolate coated raisins, which are complimented by juicy ripe pineapple and mango plus that caramelised peach from the nose. Spiced plum compote is also present. The lush fruitiness is complimented by an expressive sweetness - this comes in the form of Victoria sponge cake, treacle tart and golden syrup-like notes. Late hints of ginger and cinnamon give extra zip.

The finish is long and warming. The sweet and fruity characteristics slowly fade. Very slowly in fact. The result is that the sift gentle peat smoke and the warming spices are left to draw out the finish further. This gives a pleasant savoury quality and dryness.

What's The Verdict?

This latest addition to the Cù Bòcan Creations series is delicious. Both ex-rum and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks contribute big and bold flavours to a whisky, and could easily have clashed with each other. But they marry superbly here. The gentle peat smoke aids this and seems to bind the strong characteristics from each cask together. We are really enjoying this series and seeing the directions that the spirit is pushed in with unorthodox casks or cask combinations. Where will they go for the next release?


Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | April 26, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news ... 
 
________
 
 

The Islay distillery of Kilchoman have launched their annual release of Loch Gorm. The expression, which is named after a small, dark loch near the distillery is the only regular expression matured solely in ex-sherry casks. The Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2024 Edition consists of 23 ex-Oloroso sherry butts filled with spirit distilled in 2014. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and will be available worldwide in specialist whisky retailers. A bottle will cost £82.
 


The peated Highland single malt of Cù Bòcan, which is made at the Tomatin distillery near Inverness, has announced the sixth bottling in its Creations Series - the Cù Bòcan Creation #6. The series uses unorthodox cask combinations to create unique flavour profiles. In this case these are 9-year-old ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and 10-year-old ex-Jamaican rum casks, which have been fused together. There are just 8,400 bottles and they will be available in selected world markets. It is released at 46% ABV and will cost £60.
 


The Lowland distillery of Bladnoch has launched the Bladnoch 2024 Single Cask Collection, a series of six single cask single malts curated by Dr. Nick Savage, the Master Blender for the brand. It marks the final set in a five-year series. The details of the bottlings are listed below. The whiskies are available from www.bladnoch.com and in selected world markets including Australia, Germany and Taiwan.

  • Single Cask 2024/01 - distilled 2017/ ex-sherry butt/ 57.6% ABV/ 219 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/02 - distilled 2007/ ex-bourbon barrel/ 52.6% ABV/ 170 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/03 - distilled 2017/ peated/ ex-canasta cask/ 58.3% ABV/ 676 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/04 - distilled 2008/ ex-bourbon barrel/ 51.2% ABV/ 237 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/05 - distilled 2006/ ex-sherry butt/ 49.9% ABV/ 660 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/06 - distilled 2001/ ex-Amontillado sherry hogshead/ 50.1% ABV/ 281 bottles/ £450
 
 

The award-winning Glen Scotia distillery has launched its annual limited edition for the forthcoming Campbeltown Malts Festival, which will be held in May. The Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024 Edition is a 9-year-old unpeated single malt that has seen initial maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. It has then been finished in rare ex-Fino sherry casks for six months. 
 
The bottling has been created by Michael Henry, the Master Blender for Glen Scotia. The new whisky is released at the natural cask strength of 56.2% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available in limited quantities through whisky retailers globally and at the festival in Campbeltown. A bottle will cost £65.


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A Green Fuel Source for Distillers?

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to… Read More

Beam Suntory has successfully tested the use of green hydrogen as a fuel source for directly-firing stills, and is part of a pilot project to create a hydrogen conversion unit that could be deployed at remote distilleries. We’ll learn more about the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source for distillers on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Laphroaig is looking for a new manager, while R&B Distillers has received planning approval for a new distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland and Dr. Bill Lumsden of Glenmorangie makes a surprising admission about this year’s Ardbeg Day release. 

Episode 1053: April 21, 2024

Links: Beam Suntory | Laphroaig | Isle of Raasay Distillery | McConnell’s Irish Whisky | Overholt Rye | Bulleit | Ardbeg | Glenmorangie | Royal Salute | Bladnoch | Cù Bòcan | Callington Mill Distillery | The Cabrach Distillery | American Craft Spirits Association | Dewar’s | New Riff Distilling | Hard Truth Distilling

Review / The Italian Collection by Tomatin

The Highland distillery of Tomatin has revealed a new series of whiskies and details of the trio of bottlings. The Italian Collection celebrates the distillery’s long history of importing Italian wine casks and its success in the Italian market. Each…



The Highland distillery of Tomatin has revealed a new series of whiskies and details of the trio of bottlings. The Italian Collection celebrates the distillery's long history of importing Italian wine casks and its success in the Italian market. Each of the three whiskies follows the same path - 10 years of maturation in American oak ex-bourbon casks before being tranferred for a two year finish in a different Italian wine barrel. 

The Amarone Edition 12 Years Old uses casks sourced from the Veneto region, the Barolo Edition 12 years Old features casks from the Piedmont region and the Marsala Edition 12 Years Old sees the whisky finished in casks from a Marsala winery in Sicily. 

Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands, about half way between Aviemore and Inverness. It was founded in 1897 by a group of Inverness businessmen and was originally named Tomatin Spey. It then became Tomatin, the name of the local village, in 1907. Tomatin is currently owned by the Takara Shuzo Corporation, who purchased the distillery in 1986 after the previous ownership had been liquidated. It has a current annual capacity of five million litres.

The Italian Collection are all bottled at 46% ABV and are both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. There are just 6,000 bottles of each expression. The three bottlings are available now from the Tomatin website and selected specialist whisky retailers worldwide. A bottle will cost £70.

Our Tasting Notes


Tomatin Amarone Edition 12 years old

The colour is deep copper and the nose is filled with warm floral and red fruity aromas - think of redcurrant, strawberry and cranberry with caramel. Confected candy sweets also sit in the background alongside a hint of milk chocolate and apricot jam.

On the palate this whisky feels soft and oily. Red confected fruit leads the way, especially a vibrant note of strawberry jam. This is supported by further notes of caramel, milk chocolate and bitter dried cranberries. The fruitiness seems to increase with time and is accentuated by an evolving background maltiness and peppery spice. A late hint of cooked apple with a pinch of all-spice rounds things off nicely.


Tomatin Barolo Edition 12 years old

The colour is a deep reddish gold and the nose is big, bold and rich. Aromas of caramel and sweet confected fruit dominate early, especially green apple and red grape, and sit alongside further aromas of meadow flowers, raisin and dark chocolate. 

On the palate this whisky is silky and smooth with early notes of red fruit, especially strawberry and cranberry, and bitter orange peel. This develops to become more marmalade-like with time. Notes of raisin and sultana are also present and sit with sumptuous dark chocolate and plenty of warming spices - think of clove, cinnamon and mace. The sweeter characteristics fade towards the finish to give a pleasant drying and tannic edge that leaves the mouth watering.


Tomatin Marsala Edition 12 years old 

The colour is vibrant gold and the nose is full of dried fruits and honeyed aromas - think of juicy sultana plus candied lemon and lime especially. There are also aromas of malted biscuits, cooked green apple and crumbly brown muscovado sugar. A pinch of cinnamon sits in the background.

On the palate this whisky is soft and fruity. A heady mix of flavour notes hit the senses - lime marmalade, golden syrup, juicy sultana, toffee and caramel. This luscious marriage of notes is supported by other expressive characteristics - manuka honey, muscovado sugar, candied lemon, milk chocolate and cocoa powder to name a few. Underlying notes of malt, cinnamon and gingerbread add further depth.

What's The Verdict?

This is a nice collection of whiskies from the often underrated Tomatin. The same whisky has been pushed in different directions by the three wine barrels - the Amarone Edition is full of confection, the Barolo Edition is richer and more tannic, while the Marsala Edition is sweet and rounded. All work in their own way, but if we had to pick one as a favourite from The Italian Collection then it would be the Marsala Edition. Well worth a try if you get the opportunity to sample or buy.