This 14 Years Old whisky forms part of the core domestic range from the Speyside distillery of Tomintoul. This core range features an extensive range of products, both aged and non age statement, 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 (pronounced tom-in-towel) 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.
Tomintould 14 Years Old is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It is widely available worldwide in specialist whisky retailers. For further details, please visit www.tomintoulwhisky.com. A bottle should cost around the £55 mark.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is vibrant, bright gold and the nose is malty, fruity and sweet. The maltiness is the first thing to hit and the immediate aroma makes one think of freshly baked biscuits. There is plenty of green fruit alongside this, which is reminiscent of baked apple and poached pear. Further aromas of honey, vanilla toffee, butterscotch are evident, plus hints of toasted bread, dried orange, hazelnut and fresh coconut.
On the palate this whisky feels soft, sweet and creamy. The soft vanilla toffee and creamy hazelnut and coconut notes are now to the fore, and are quickly joined by some buttered toast and shortbread. The baked apple and poached pear fruitiness is never far away and adds to the softness. A pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg help to bring this out further later on.
The second half of the palate brings the malty cereals back nicely. Oat cookies and digestive biscuit are evident, along with some further baking spice. Is that a hint of gingerbread also? Further notes of heather honey, golden syrup and praline support this. A white peppery kick comes through right at the end, as does a distinct citrussy characteristic – think of lemon zest, dried orange peel and a hint of sherbet.
The finish is of good length and the decently high ABV contributes to this. It seems to exaggerate and hold the flavours for longer, before they slowly fade. The creaminess is replaced in time by some drying and slightly tannic oak, plus those baking spices from earlier. This adds a little heat also. The overall vibe is delicious.
What’s The Verdict?
We often think that Tomintoul is somewhat underrated in the Scotch drinking community. But their whiskies are of a consistently high quality and continue to win a hatful of major awards around the world. This 14 Years Old is no exception. It exhibits classic Speyside characteristics – soft, fruity, sweet and malty. And it is superbly balanced and enjoyable to drink. An absolute cracker and a definite ‘must try’.
