Reviews of affordable whiskies with some entertaining tales along the way…
In this, the fifth and final part of a series of Watt Whisky reviews, I get to grips with a 12-year-old single malt from Tomintoul Distillery in Speyside. This series has sought to present shorter, snappier reviews, without the lengthy backstory. However, if you would like to know more about either the distillery or the bottler, check out the links after the main review. This Watt Whisky Tomintoul single malt was matured for a total of 12 years, including 14 months in a Ruby Port cask. It’s bottled at 58.4%.
*Full disclosure: the sample featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.
Smell: The finish leaps from the glass… raspberry, cherry, plum… a little gentle oaky spice. Even a wee chocolatey note in the background.
Taste: Berry fruits. Raspberry and blackcurrant that quickly turn wonderfully tart. Towards the back, there’s some dark chocolate. The cherry from the nose makes a return, followed by some oak tannins. Not a lot of obvious spirit character in this one – it’s all about the finishing cask.
Thoughts: This is probably the most cask-dominated expression I’ve had from Watt Whisky but that isn’t a complaint and it doesn’t mean it’s a massive dram. Tomintoul is a whisky that often comes across as a little too lightweight for my palate – I find the official bottlings especially flimsy. Ruby Port was a good choice though – the whisky couldn’t have taken a sherry finish but the berries of the port combined with the delicate Speyside spirit has created a classy dram that would go down a treat on a warm summer’s day. Light, yes, but not anaemic. There’s more than enough flavour in the glass to keep me interested.
Price: £69. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one but it ended up being one of the highlights of the batch. I’d have no issues paying the asking price.
Further reading:
Check out my 2019 review of the official Tomintoul 10-year-old: https://whiskyreviews.net/2019/06/27/tomintoul-10-year-old/
For more on Watt Whisky visit: https://wattwhisky.com/