Tomintoul Peaty Tang

I was suppose to taste these whiskies as part of a virtual tasting lead by Tomintoul Master Distiller Robert Fleming, but I suppose I missed something when I signed up for the tasting, because I don't think I would have registered knowing it was happening at 11am on a Tuesday. I'm dedicated, but not that dedicated. What follows then is my impressions of these whiskies.

I found this one the most curious of all the samples I received. With Tomintoul branding themselves as a "gentle dram" I wasn't expecting a peated whisky. Bully for me, I guess.

• Nose (undiluted): much peatier (earthy peat) than I expected, light smoke, orchard fruits, honey, ginger
• Palate: very gentle arrival, earthy peat, smoke, pears, malty, nutty (hazelnuts)
• Finish: long and lingering, ashy campfire, light iodine
• Thoughts: I'm on the fence here. The peated barley really works beautifully with the "gentle dram" that is Tomintoul. It would likely be a no-brainer 86/100 or 87/100 if this were bottled at 46% abv, but it's just a bit diminished by the lower abv. It sells for $71 at the LCBO and that's not a terrible price; it's about on par with Laphroaig Select (a real crowd favourite right?).

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