There have been three batches of the Tomatin 1988 vintage so far, in 2014, 2015 and this Batch #3 from July 2016. It is a vatting of traditional ex-bourbon casks and first-fill Port pipes.
Tomatin 27 yo 1988
(50%, OB 2016, bourbon barrels + fist-fill Port pipes, 1800 btl.)
Nose: sweet peaches, vanilla pastry and a little ice cream. Then red fruit candy (the cherries you could break apart and hang around your ears) and blackcurrants but also a minty / woody edge and leather. Dusty malt. Perhaps more bourbon wood than Port casks doing the talking.
Mouth: still this combination of sweet barley and fruits (apples, raspberries, rhubarb) with polished, bittersweet oak. Candied ginger. Certainly more winey now. Hints of leather and tobacco leaves. Honey, pepper and cloves.
Finish: long, still sweet and winey, with more spicy oak (especially cinnamon).
While the Port clearly adds red fruits and sweetness, it isn’t overdone and the Port has a hard time balancing the spicy bourbon wood. Maybe not an absolute stunner, but very good for a Port bottling nonetheless.
Score: 87/100