Cadenhead’s Tomatin 12yo
Authentic Collection | 54.1% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
An underrated malt and a fantastic price for such a flavoursome Highlander
Take A Moment During The Good Times To Appreciate The Simple Things.
It makes everything else in life that little bit easier.
The phrase I’ve heard repeatedly over the last fortnight has been: ‘When it rains, it pours’. I wish it was in the context of plentiful pours of whisky, but life peeks its head up sometimes to bring forth difficult events we have to deal with that can quickly derail our day to day life.
This will be a different topic of choice that I’ll ramble about today Dramfacers. I’m hoping to share some recent events with you in the chance that some of you can just stop for a minute and realise how lucky we all are and savour those beautiful moments when we’re experiencing them first-hand.
It’s an apology first to you and also to the website team for the lack of reviews on my part. I love whisky and love how great it is to be a part of this team and whisky platform. It’s brought me closer to the people involved in the industry, be it distillery workers or other reviewers. I’m very fortunate to be a part of something like this, but recently it had to take a back seat for a few reasons.
“Tomatin...had the greatest capacityof any malt whisky distillery - 12m L.P.A. per annum - and operated to capacity for a periiod in the 1970s, consuming 600 tonnes of malt a week.”
I mentioned in my Green Spot review how I was on the hunt for a new job. I was successful in my search, but the preparations and multiple interview stages meant reviews were unfortunately low on my priority list. From the period of time between handing in my four-week working notice to starting my new role, my wife and I finally enjoyed a well-deserved holiday abroad. It’s always hard getting back into a routine after a break and I admit that I hardly did any work for the last few weeks with my old employer. Maybe that’s why I found it a little bit easier to get some reviews out?
Before joining my new company, I was invited to a summer event they were holding in Belfast. Some of our American business partners were over for a week, so it was thought it would be a good way for me to meet them face to face before the inevitable Zoom calls.
What I didn’t expect from attending this event was that it would result in my first bout of Covid-19. I’d been convinced I had super genetics as I had thus far avoided it completely, but it struck me down in my prime. This meant I would miss the start date of my new job and I was stressed out about what kind of impression this would give my new employer. It turned out that more than 20 people who attended the event were also struck down, so I wasn’t alone so it gave me peace of mind that we could agree a delay to my startv date.
My method of recovering was copious amounts of Lucozade, tomato & basil soup and distracting myself with Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch. Like I said at the start, when it rains, sometimes it does indeed pour and things were only to get worse when we received news of the sudden and unexpected death of my 54 year old uncle. I was tucked away in the spare room to stop my wife getting infected and I felt helpless. I couldn’t console my father on the death of his brother or grieve with my other family members.
I then had to arrange a new start date with work so I could attend the funeral and I was still testing positive up until then. This just added to the stress as the last thing I wanted was to pass on the virus to anyone attending. The reason I’ve shared this is because after the funeral I just felt empty.
A lot had happened over the previous weeks and it was all a bit too much, but it made me realise how lucky I am to be surrounded by amazing people in my family. Due to the sudden nature of my uncle’s death, being sick and starting with a new company, I took stock of the things I’m grateful for. I’m healthy, I enjoy a tipple at the weekend, and take a lot of enjoyment through exercise and watching sports. I have an amazing wife and family members, as well as my old friends who are always on the end of the phone. I have new friends too and it was thinking about them that helped me out of this sudden slump. Who are they? They’re my friends in whisky.
I thought back to what makes me happy and whisky was at the forefront of those thoughts, and how much enjoyment I get from sipping this glorious liquid and sharing it with other like-minded folks. This year, I’ve also managed to attend a few online tastings and enjoyed every one of them. Not only do I have a unique opportunity to try some fantastic and rare whiskies, but it also opens a network of whisky folk who, like me, are up for a laugh and enjoy a bit of talk through the medium of this wonderful liquid. I have a massive thank you to Whisky Rover JJ, who hosts these online tastings at a regular enough cadence via his Instagram account.
Apart from one that was on my wedding anniversary, I’ve attended the rest so far in 2022. The line-up and themes have been varied and unique, with a great mix of attendees who offer their own notes during the session which have helped me along while sipping each dram. I’ve met some very cool and brilliant individuals, all the while sipping away at some delicious drams (some not so nice, but still enjoyable with the company involved).
I’m not looking for a sympathy vote in sharing my story, but just to remind you all that it’s OK to not be OK. Life will inevitably come by and knock us down when we least expect it. We all deal with experiences and events in different ways, some easier than others. I’ll ask you all to remember what makes you happy. Do what you enjoy in life, because it’s far too short and we are all so lucky to be where we are right now. If you haven’t started that new hobby you’ve been meaning to try, there’s no time like the present. Be brave and be yourself.
Review
At a recent Tomatin tasting hosted by Whisky Rover, someone mentioned the bottle I’m reviewing today. My only other experience and taste of Tomatin has been through their Tomatin Legacy, which I picked up for around £22 – an unreal price given flavour. It was always a favourite on Aqvavitae’s blind line-ups so once I spotted it, I had to buy the bottle. Once this Cadenhead’s Tomatin was mentioned, it wasn’t too long until I had messaged my wife asking her if she would buy it for me for my birthday. I’ve purchased a bit too much recently, so it was a good segue into a new bottle that was linked to the tasting.
However, once it arrived, I was struck down with the dreaded Covid and couldn’t even crack the beauty open and sample right away. Better late than never, though. On to the review.
Distilled at Tomatin in 2009 and bottled by Cadenhead’s in the spring of 2022. Matured in a bourbon hogshead with an outturn of 264 bottles. 54.1% ABV and priced at £49. Still available at Cadenhead’s online shop
Nose
Initial smell brings out a warm and crumbly pastry, with a huge dollop of lemon curd. I’m picking out salted caramel and soft fudge with caramelised brown sugar. There’s baked apple in there along with a dusting of cinnamon. Vanilla custard and chocolate digestive biscuits. Back end of the nose I’m greeted by mushy plums and rum-soaked raisins, finishing off with a fresh citrus blast.
Palate
Creamy. Lactic. Bitter chocolate up front with more brown sugar, but it’s a touch burnt on the flavour. In a good way. It’s reminiscent of a cold rice pudding topped with a granny smith apple. There’s a nutty element to the dram, like a macadamia that lingers long when sipping. I’m getting lemon sherbet hard-boiled sweets, with a small hint of cola cubes. It rounds off with a little kiwi, and the creamy element from the start returns in the form of a raspberry yoghurt.
The finish is quite astringent and ramps up after the initial sip with a touch of pepper – probably the ABV kicking in which isn’t too overwhelming. It reminds me of the mouthfeel that grapefruit juice would give you. Sour on the tongue that fades away slowly but surely.
The Dregs
While I prayed my smell and taste were not impacted by recent events, this Tomatin announced itself loudly on the nose and on the palate. It was delicious. Trying it alongside the Tomatin Legacy, the overall fruity character is there in its foundation but the added ABV and whole maturation in a bourbon hoggy is delightful. I’ve said before how lucky I am to have tasted some very good Tomatin via online tastings and I’m grateful to my wife for buying this for me. It was a birthday present, but I think she felt sorry for me given recent events and it had been quite a while since I had poured a dram to enjoy.
I’m thankful and grateful to you the Dramface audience, who enjoy what I have to say in the reviews I’ve posted thus far. Thank you.
I’m looking forward to sharing this and spreading the love and news about Tomatin. To me, it’s an underrated and under the radar whisky that offers bags of flavour. They seemingly have an extensive core range, with a couple of hand-filled options available on their website. I’ll pencil them into the backlog of bottles I want to sample and I’m interested in how the liquid would get on with a port finish.
While this bottle is still available, purchase, open it, and enjoy! Fantastic value for money. Well done Cadenhead’s and well done Tomatin.
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF
-
Dramface is free.
Its fierce independence and community-focused content is funded by that same community. We don’t do ads, sponsorships or paid-for content. If you like what we do you can support us by becoming a Dramface member for the price of a magazine.
However, if you’ve found a particular article valuable, you also have the option to make a direct donation to the writer, here: buy me a dram - you’d make their day. Thank you.
For more on Dramface and our funding read our about page here.
