Tomatin 27YO Single Cask 1990 – Distillery Exclusive

Tomatin Single Cask 27 year old, distilled 24th of September 1990, bottled 22nd of May 2018.

Cask number 16366, bottle number 185. Hand bottled and bought exclusively from Tomatin distillery, received a sample from my whisky buddy here in Finland, while doing a whisky tasting at friend’s summer cottage.

Couldn’t find any information about maturation type for this Highlander – not from the bottle or package. Even my friend couldn’t say because he had received this single cask single malt as a gift.

When doing some research along the web, I noticed that lots of Tomatin distillery exclusive single casks had been aged in Oloroso sherry casks. After tasting this single cask Tomatin in question, I strongly feel that this has been aged in Oloroso too.

Tomatin 27 Year Old 1990 Distillery Exclusive Review

Pleasant and strong character

You rarely get a chance to taste almost 30 years old whisky bottled almost at 60% alcohol by volume. These specs really made me excited.

Expectations were matched as this single cask Tomatin offers a pleasant whisky journey. Even though it has character, like a whisky this old and strong should have. All its strength comes in a smooth and pleasant package.

Matured in:

Ex-Oloroso Sherry casks

ABV: 57.5%

Colour: Golden amber

Nose: Very herbal and quite earthy, yet tropical. And bit nutty. Pleasant notes of nutmeg and kiwi fruit peel, along with grassy notes. Aromas retreat a bit with few drops of water. Nose gets sweeter, with sherry notes and raisins rising from the back.

Taste: Sweet tropical fruits combined with peppery notes. Grapefruit and bitter berries. Acid notes seem to get even stronger with addition of water. Few drops of water brings more citrus fruits and herbal freshness.

Finish: Long finish like one would expect. Strong warming spices hit first. Sweet warming sherry and acid citrus notes, with hints of nutmeg. Water brings out the oak and sherry notes into the long, warming aftertaste.

Balance: This single malt has class and quality. Pleasant, well matured and balanced single cask whisky. With these specs you can’t expect a whisky to be not great!