Tomintoul 16
The Tomintoul distillery in its present form was founded in 1965, although a distillery called Tomintoul already existed a lot earlier – in 1830s. The owners of the company have been changed a number of times, more or less successfully. Currently, the distillery makes full use of its production capacity. 3 million liters of pure alcohol per year and over 100,000 barrels in which the distillate matures are really impressive.
Tomintoul 16
Still a large part of the distillates goes to blends, that’s why it’s single malts are not as popular as they could be.
I already tried its peated version, called Old Ballantruan. I gave it 83 points out of 100, which is quite reasonable score for a non-age-stated whisky.
This time we have a single malt with an impressive age statement, although bottled only in 40% ABV. I hope I won’t be disappointed.
Tomintoul aged 16 years
Tomintoul means „Little Hill of the Barn” and it’s the name of the village near the distillery
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Speyside
Aged 16 years
40% ABV
Unpeated
Aged in ex-Bourbon barrels
Chill-filtered
Color: +1 amber with caramel
Tasting notes
Nose: prunes, dried figs, tarragon, Grappa, hazelnuts, apricots, green apples, honey melon. Quite complex and interesting … by the way, it is surprisingly rich for only bourbon barrels (I had to make sure again if it’s correct). I’ve found lack of Vanilla and caramel scents, typical for this type of barrels. The fragrant reminds me of sherry casks as well as fresh oak casks … but it appears, that only ex-bourbon had been used. Alcohol is perfectly hidden, which is rather normal for a 16-year-old whisky bottled at only 40% ABV. 21/25
Palate: almonds, sugar, apple seeds, caramel, peach, hazelnuts. Pleasant, although it lacks it’s character and power. Chill- „Castration” and bottling it at a minimum strength of 40% … it’s like watching a movie in 4K on an old 1990s TV set. It could have been interesting, but unfortunately it’s only a decent dram. 19/25
Finish: caramel, wood, bourbon, cloves, honey. Pleasant but short, which surprised me, because usually ripe whiskies (teenagers) bring us much longer aftertaste. 18/25
Balance: it surprises at every turn. Fragrant: it doesn’t remind me a whisky matured in an ex-bourbon barrels. Flavor: it doesn’t taste like 16 years old whisky. It’s rather diluted, a bit weak … The number „16” on the label is definitely more impressive than the content of the bottle itself. 19/25
Overall: 77/100
Other reviews
Price: approx. EUR 50-55
I expected more
More photos here
