Tomatin 21 Year Old is officially a travel retail whisky. However they are also on the shelves of classic retailers, as often with duty free expressions. It matures exclusively in first fill ex-bourbon barrels.
Apart from this 21 year old, the travel retail range from Tomatin consists of an 8 year-old, 16 year-old and 40 year-old whisky.
Tomatin 21 yo ‘bourbon barrels’ (46%, OB +/- 2020, travel retail)
Nose: an avalanche of vanilla and pastry notes. Sweet coconut cream, stewed apples and honeyed notes. Then freshly baked brioche and croissants. Butter biscuits too, as well as some caramel. Oak shavings and subtle oak spice (pepper, sweet ginger) add a light prickle.
Mouth: a very creamy and sweet profile again. Peaches and stewed apples, with a subtle lemony sourness. Barley sugar. More butter biscuits and creamy vanilla custard. Then Frisian sugar loaf and caramel. Hints of ginger and clove, leaving a vibrant woody footprint. Coconut in the background.
Finish: medium length, initially sweet, with generous vanilla. Some drying spicy notes come out in the very end.
A very sweet, thick and creamy profile. The bourbon influence is dialed up a notch. The complexity is rather limited – nonetheless this Tomatin is easy to like. Still samples available from The Whisky Exchange, if you like, and bottles here and there.