Tomintoul Tlàth

Tomintoul labels itself 'The Gentle Dram'. In August 2016 they announced their newest release, a NAS, under the name Tomintoul Tlàth. This is Gaelic for gentle or soft. Believers say ‘well chosen’, non-believers state ‘well, they did not really spent a lot of thought on that’. But more important is the contents of the bottle, obviously. It matured completely in American bourbon casks and is bottled at the standard drinking strength of 40%. I was sent a sample by the owners, the lovely people of Angus Dundee Distillers.

The nose is mild and grainy with lots of bourbon cask influences. Think vanilla, caramel and toffee. All very sweet indeed. Then a single yellow apple and a single lemon peel. A leaf of mint. The longer you leave it, the sweeter it becomes. A bit like Werther’s Originals.

It is indeed quite gentle on the palate, as the name suggests. Good body, though. Surprisingly creamy. Very sweet again, but also spicy. Woodspices: nutmeg and mostly white pepper jump out. Oatmeal cookies.

The mint returns for a second in the rather short finish.

A typical Tomintoul that is true to its style – mild and accessible. A typical aperitif style whisky. According to the text of the press release, it should cost less than 39 EUR in our neck of the woods. Value for money.

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