The Tomintoul 10 Years Old is the cornerstone of the core domestic range from the Speyside distillery. This core range features an extensive range of products in a trio of styles – the classic Speyside, lightly peated and heavily peated styles. These are named as Tomintoul, Peaty Tang and Old Ballantruan respectively. Many have unorthodox cask finishes also. This whisky uses the classic non-peated spirit, which is produced for most of the year, and is matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels.
Tomintoul was opened in 1965 by owners Hay & Macleod & Co. and W & S. Strong & Co. They founded the Tomintoul Distillery Ltd. and it was designed to cash in on the whisky boom that was happening at the time. It is located in the hamlet of Tomintoul, close to the village of Ballindalloch, and is one of the highest in Scotland at 286 metres (808 feet) above sea level.
This leads to the distillery being one of the worst to be effected by bad weather and it is regularly cut off by heavy snow fall in winter. The current owners are Angus Dundee Distillers, who took over in 2000. It is under their ownership that Tomintoul has developed and grown as a single malt brand. The current production capacity is 3.3 million litres per year.
The Tomintoul 10 Years Old is bottled at 40% ABV and is widely available worldwide in specialist whisky retailers. For further details, please visit www.tomintoulwhisky.com. A bottle should cost around £40.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is light gold and the nose is very green. Aromas of stewed apple and poached pear leap from the glass. It takes time for other aromas to evolve, most of which are sweet. Think of vanilla fudge, toffee, and a sweet maltiness. There are also hints of wood chips and heather honey, with a slight hint of banana. A further hint of white pepper adds a touch of heat and astrigency.
On the palate this whisky is creamy, soft and gentle. It is again very green with plenty of soft cooked apple and peardrop sweets evident to begin. The green characteristic remains throughout. It is joined by a hint of tropical fresh mango and vanilla fudge. The confected nature continues with further notes of icing sugar, sweet hazelnut praline and white chocolate. An underlying maltiness develops, as does a pinch of cocoa powder and dusty cinnamon spice.
The finish is quite short. The fruity notes are sadly gone almost immediately. There is plenty of the icing sugar sweetness that sticks around a little longer, but the woody and white peppery heat is what lingers the most.
What’s The Verdict?
This whisky has many classic Speyside characteristics – plenty of green fruit, soft and gentle nature, plus a tonne of vanilla and sweetness. However, we cannot help but feel that this Tomintoul 10 Years Old lacks a little depth and complexity. It is good at what it does, but is quite basic and one dimensional. A decent whisky but certainly no showstopper.
