Today we’re looking at two recent bottlings in the reliable Connoisseurs Choice range from Gordon & Macphail. The duo consists of a Tomatin 2003 from a bourbon cask, and a Glenburgie 2008 from a sherry hogshead.
Tomatin 20 yo 2003 (55,8%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ 2024, first fill bourbon barrel #2381, 187 btl.)
Nose: sweet barley with a nice fruitiness. Juicy lemons, hints of bananas, unripe pears and greengages. Coconut shavings. Rather candied, with icing sugar and hints of whipped cream. Then drops of honey with almonds and vanilla, but also a sharper grassy edge and hints of fizzy tonic water.
Mouth: really nice again, with bright and pleasant fruits all over. Peaches, yellow plums, green bananas and hints of grapefruits. Hints of mango and tangerine sweets. After this burst of fruits there’s an oaky element, quickly getting greener and quite tangy, with some gingery notes and grass.
Finish: quite long and oaky, with a herbal bitterness, grapefruit zest, white pepper and a leafy edge.
The juicy fruits immediately won me over, but the firm zesty and grassy side brings down the overall enjoyment. Good whisky though, if you’re looking for a tangy fruitiness.
Glenburgie 15 yo 2008 (57,4%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ 2024, first fill sherry hogshead #17602308, 299 btl.)
Nose: plenty of toffee notes, plums, cocoa powder and hints of mocha. Then roasted hazelnuts and cappucino. Underneath there’s a light umami hint of Maggi and pumpernickel, with charred oak and hints of burnt orange peels.
Mouth: plums and dates, with a nice sour edge of red berries. Firm roasted notes. Some brownies with roasted pecans, more toffee, getting more savoury over time. Hints of bouillon, chocolate and herbal extract in the background, along with a mild meaty side.
Finish: medium, on dark chocolate, black pepper and hints of liquorice.
A dark and caramelly style. It offers some a nice profile for wintertime, but it’s beefy and spicy so maybe not doing justice to Glenburgie’s fruity spirit character. Apparently a release for mainland Europe – I found it at Whiskysite.nl. Score: 85/100