I must say that I am a big fan of the Tomatin 30 year old. So it was nice to try the Legacy which sits on the opposite end of the Tomatin lineup being a NAS whisky. We tried this expression at the Allied Glass tweet tasting. It’s interesting to see that a lot of the new NAS whiskies are incorporating virgin oak maturations. It may be a way to get more cask influence from younger whiskies or perhaps it’s from a shortage of bourbon casks due to the increasing demand from the Scotch industry. Could be both really, but either way I feel it is shifting the average flavour profile of Scotch whisky. This is not necessarily a bad thing and has happened in the past. For instance the shift toward bourbon casks from sherry when UK laws changed so that sherry could no longer be shipped to the UK in casks. While there will be some who lament this change, I think it is opening up more variety in Scotch. Well that’s just my opinion.

Distillery: Tomatin Distillery

Age: NAS

Cask: Ex-Bourbon and Virgin Oak

ABV: 43%

Price: £25.84

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Nose

Sour citrus and pineapple. Lemon rinds. Gin and tonic. Overtone of condensed dried flowers.

Taste

Wow great tropical fruity hit transforming into maple syrup and oak smoked foods. Hints of menthol and honey.

Finish

Honey and menthol from vicks vapor rub. Tropical fruit salad that lingers.

Rating

7

Afterthoughts

This is a bold spirity whisky. It’s feisty. It has a little more bite than one might expect from Scotch. It is after all a younger whisky and I am fine with that. Young whiskies are not intrinsically inferior. You can find some amazing young whiskies which can be evidenced by expressions like the Uigeadail, Abunadh, and Machir Bay. Young whiskies can have this bold and lively profile which hits you with it’s upfront power. I think the legacy has some of these qualities. It also has that typical tropical fruitiness that seems to be Tomatin’s character. Similar to the 30 year old. It’s not quite as bold as the famous NAS whiskies but at the price I believe it is a great value.

 

AliceInWhiskyland

Nose

Green bananas, and tropical fruit. Butter and vanilla sugar on toast.

Taste

Fresh fruits, oak, some vanilla pod. Sweet but bitter.

Finish

Short and sweet.

Rating

6

Afterthoughts

Pleasant dram. Fresh and fruity. Would love to have again.

 

Image at top from Master of Malt:

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/tomatin/tomatin-legacy-whisky/