It’s been a while since I posted some notes as I was immersed in a blind tasting competition where I finished at top half but not too close to the top. I’ll have some post with my thoughts on the competition but I need some more time to get them into coherent and logical post so in the meanwhile let’s review some new additions on the whisky shelves, starting with the new Tomatin Cask Strength expression.

Till now all OB from Tomatin were bottled in 46% and lower so this is a new and great refreshment to the lineup. The whisky was matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry casks, 15,000 bottled were produced and it was bottled at cask strength of 57.5%.

Tomatin Cask Strength (57.5%, £48.95/€51.75)

Nose: starts with malt and sweet honey. Then a big sweet and light stewed fruits glazed with golden syrup and cinnamon sprinkles. The youth and malt notes still pop up over again like bubbles. A few minutes in the glass reveals drops of tropical juice and the nutmeg kinda replaces the cinnamon one. There’s no stronger sherry influence where the sweet sugar gets darker and brown, raisins and dark sweet wine. With a few drops of water it’s lighter and fruitier but retain the overall impression.

Palate: Sweet, dark stewed fruits, nutmeg and cinnamon, then some espresso. With water it’s lighter with similar delivery of notes but with stronger nutmeg note.

Finish: Medium finish with dark sweet prunes, caramelized dark sugar. With water it’s lighter, fruitier and then stronger nutmeg impact.

Thoughts: A great new addition and competitor to the NAS cask strength shelves. It starts malty and fruity with some tropical edge and then transform into a full blown sweet fruity and sherried whisky. Despite it being NAS, the youth isn’t too prominent, showing only at the beginning, then giving way to the fruits and sherry influence. The cask strength is a permanent offering now so it’s a worthy competitor to Aberlour A’bunadh, Glendronach Cask Strength, Glenfarclas 105 and the other NAS CS expressions out there.