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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 2: Tomintoul 16 Year Old

Posted on December 2, 2021

by Evan

Day number two is upon us. Time to dive into the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar. What will it bestow upon us today? We are sticking in Speyside, this time with the Tomintoul 16-Year-Old!

So, what is the scoop on Tomintoul Distillery?

Tomintoul is one of two Scottish Whisky Distilleries owned by Angus Dundee Distillers – the other being Glencadam in the Highlands. Tomintoul resides in the heart of Speyside in the hamlet of Kirkmichael. The hamlet itself is about 10km South of Ballindalloch, Banffshire along the River Avon. Tomintoul’s nearest distillery neighbours include Tamnavulin, Braeval, Balmenach and Glenlivet. Like Braeval Distillery, Tomintoul is on the younger side having only been founded less than 60 years ago in 1965. Compare that to the oldest distilleries in Speyside: Strathisla distillery dates back to 1786!

Image from Tomintoul Distillery's website

Tomintoul (Tom – in – towel) translates to “Hill of the barn” from Gaelic, and I think we can all agree that the Gaelic version sounds fancier and was the right choice for the distillery name. On official bottlings, owner Angus Dundee puts the moniker “The gentle dram” on the label, which should give you some idea of the distillery style when it comes to the whisky.

The distillery makes what you could think of as ‘prototypical Speyside’ whisky – most of what Tomintoul produces is a soft, fruity spirit with no smoke or peat influence. As many distilleries do, Tomintoul does create its own exception to this rule, producing a small amount of heavily peated spirit each year which usually goes by the name Ballantruan. If you are into peated whisky I highly recommend trying the Old Ballantruan 10-Year-Old if you have the opportunity.

The only regular expression from Tomintoul that contains some of this peated spirit is called the Peaty Tang. The 16 Year Old that we will soon be tasting is entirely unpeated like just about all of the Tomintoul lineup. Bottled at 40%, the 16-year-old is matured almost entirely in ex-Bourbon Casks and has been part of the core range for a number of years. Let’s crack open that bottle and give it a taste!

Tomintoul 16-Year-Old - 40%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Apple crumble, poached pears and peaches, cinnamon coffee cake, a mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream on top, and a mossy forest floor.

Palate: Chocolate-coated almonds, Neopolitan ice cream, a London Fog Latte, cinnamon shortbread cookies, graham crackers, and a trail mix full of roasted peanuts, sunflower seeds, a few raisins and bits of dark chocolate..

Finish: The chocolate and nutty notes stick around. Toasty and roasted to the end.

Comment: It has been a while since I have tasted the Tomintoul 16 and it is richer, more roasted and more nutty than I remember. Surprisingly well put together and not weak like I expected it to be at 40%. Not anemic at all..

I had truly forgotten how robust this Single Malt Scotch is even at 40%. What a pleasant surprise! I need to go through the Tomintoul range again at some point. Maybe after the KWM Whisky Calendar marathon is done. Catch you all on the morrow for door number three!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Store, Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2021

 

 

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