Tomintoul 12 y.o. Oloroso

40% abv

Score:  87.5/100

Tomintoul.  Not a distillery we’ve seen much from in Canada.  Recently a few expressions docked on this side of the pond and made their way from the waterside to my landlocked neighborhood here in Calgary.  Hopefully this is a full-on emmigration experience and not a once over trip.  Gotta be honest, this was a really, really pleasant surprise.

The most lively and spriteful of Oloroso sherry casks have spent about 18 months rounding off the initial period of bourbon maturation for this youthful Speyside malt, giving it a Peter Pan ‘forever young’ type of vivacity.  Neat.

Oloroso almost seems a cheat to me.  It is so sweet and tangy that it immediately adds a level of playfulness to a spirit often thought of as a stuffy old boy’s club kind of drink.  PX is a little like a dessert wine.  Manzanilla can be a wee bit tart still and drying.  But Oloroso…Oloroso is more like a cherry popsicle on a hot summer’s day.  Sweet…juicy…refreshing.  The only problem I have with it is that I always find myself wondering how  decent the base spirit is before this sherry finish sweetens it all out.

Nose:

Sweet, sweet oloroso.  Fruity as hell.  Home-y notes of hot cross buns.  Sugary raisin, crunchy berry and oranges.  Cherry lollipop.  This was exceptional sherry casking.  Not a faulty cask anywhere to be found here.

Arrives with a sweet juicy flare and big pleasant tingle.  Juicy as hell and had my mouth watering straight off.  For a young whisky…this is really damn good.  It loses a little on the finish, but everything that came before more than makes up for it.

Scores an extra point or so for how vibrant and balanced this is at this age.  At 21…I fear to think

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt