hese 1976 Tomatins are well known nowadays… Colour: full gold. Nose: ah yes! Fruit compotes and jams all over the place, plus touches of chocolate and cappuccino, then honey and dried fruits. Need I say more, even if there are myriads of tinier spicy/jammy tones? Absolutely lovely nose. With water: forget water this time, it doesn’t need it. Mouth: symphonic plums and oranges plus kumquats and banana liqueur. Superb notes of tropical fruits as well (passion fruits), a little Demerara sugar… And did I mention plums? And honey? Late harvest white wine? Vanilla fudge? Marmalade?... Finish: long, rich yet perfectly balanced, jammy, with the expected spices in the aftertaste (nutmeg and cinnamon here)… Comments: perfect, even if it’s maybe a tad rougher than other recent 1976s by the same gang. Anyway, great whisky – to think that Tomatin was so unnoticed in the olden days…
Whisky Notes (91)
Nose: typical Tomatin fruitiness, although it starts nutty / musty and develops the fruity notes over time. Tangerines, apricots, mangos. Excellent strawberries as well. Blueberry jam. Very fruity, with silky sherry and soft polished oak. Quite some mint and eucalyptus as well, more so than I remember from previous releases. Mouth: big tropical fruitiness (the whole shebang: mango, guava, tangerine, banana, soft citrus, a little cassis). Almost no oak (a faint peppery note though). Finish: long, fruity with more spices and a little cocoa.
Wow, this Tomatin 1976 combines the best elements from the other recent releases, in my opinion. Very exemplary. The bottle will be empty before you know it.
