Tomatin 1999 Cask Strength

Bottle 153 of 250 from this single cask production- Christmas has come early boys and girls. A deep deep red caramel colour makes me think that it has been artificially coloured but it could just be the effects of the sherry cask it inhabited. A good friend of mine @lawbowles brought this round to celebrate me moving into my new home and to help ease the pain of a 8 hour floor varnishing session. As always I have reviewed without water, though when I tried a teaspoon of water with it the drams personality changed entirely. Liquorice played a much bigger role and Christmas disappeared to allow for the re introduction of autumn.

Nose: I have never smelt anything like it. Christmas pudding, raisins. The sweet breath of stewed fruits in the autumn gently fills my nose. Cloves and cinnamon My mouth waters in anticipation.

Palate: A sweet tingling on the tongue followed by dark brown sugar caramel mixed with a dash of cinnamon. The sherry has had a monumental effect on this whisky. Sweet with a very gentle drift of smoke that seems to be a lingering afterthought. Raisins and stewed fruits again come to the fore.

Finish: Long and full bodied. The oiliness of this whisky coats my tongue entirely. Dried fruits linger, autumn will be along one this year according to this lil dram!

Rich, thick and almost chewy. A very very good dram for winter as it does everything a good winter dram should do. Fiery, full bodied, strong taste of cinnamon and autumnal fruits. Thank you @lawbowles for making my moving in night that much more special!

The occasion that this whisky was enjoyed at has made me rate it as my first 90 in my own mind!!! However I have taken this into account and have adjusted the score accordingly.

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