Enter Tomintoul – the gentle dram. A whisky which you both see everywhere and yet is still somehow under the radar. A whisky which to my mind owes much of its composition to the distillery's history (and current) requirements for blending – and as such struggles to shine in our modern world. Thoughts: This does feel like a step-up from the 16-year-old although they are very much cut from the same cloth. The 21-year-old has that little bit of depth that only comes from a lengthy period in oak. There’s a tannic note that runs through the whole experience. The nose in particular is pleasantly complex though the palate can’t quite live up to its promise. Water opened things up a little but some weight and mouthfeel was lost as a result. A pleasant if somewhat predictable example of a mature Speyside.

Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. Tomintoul is part of the large, Crown-owned Glenlivet Estate. The estate is responsibly managed and well maintained. They advocate the outdoors and a healthy lifestyle. They even have a dedicated mountain bike centre at Glenlivet Bike Trails.Palate: Medium bodied, although the flavor seems a too watered-down at 40%. Raw honey, again, complete with the comb. Toasted oats, slight wood, and not bitter. In the Victorian era, the village was receiving some tourism; in 1860, there were three inns here. [11] An 1857 Commercial Gazetteer described the community as a mean-looking village on a bleak moor with superstitious residents. [12] The 1882–4 Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland also did not depict Tomintoul as a prosperous village: [13]

I mean sure, if you want the status symbol of an old single malt to show off to your friends whilst still having an easy drinking, sessionable whisky, Tomintoul fits the bill. I suspect, however, that many consumers nowadays would prefer something a little more characterful, a little more intense and they wouldn’t particularly care if that meant buying a much younger whisky. Over the last few years, the distillery has started to recognise that whisky enthusiasts are seeking more than just the gentle, straight-forward Tomintoul experience. Enter a range of sometimes inelegantly crafted ‘bolt on’s’: Tomintoul ‘with a peaty tang’, a small range of cask finishes and a handful of older, vintage expressions. Necessary diversification, but often without the justification and brand work required. Smell: The nose is quite typical for an older Speyside single malt. It’s malty with caramel, toffee and butterscotch. It has a varnish / solvent note very similar to that found in the 16-year-old. In fact the whole experience feels like a natural progression from the previous dram. Some nice baking spices like cinnamon and ginger. Cumin seeds. Honey and digestive biscuits. There’s wee flashes of some interesting berry top notes. Citrus. Red apples. Overall: A tasty, easygoing malt that has been murdered by the addition of far too much water. By God, this should be 46% at least. The fact that it has been waterlogged – indeed, drowned at 40% ABV – should be ruled a crime against Man and Whisky. For shame. For what it’s worth, it’s a sight better than the Tomintoul 10-year, and definitely worth the extra cash if you’re one of the two or three Tomintoul fans out there. (Cue the two or three angry comments.)This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). The village is on the famed Whisky Trail, which also includes Dufftown, Keith, Tomnavoulin, and Marypark. The surrounding countryside forms the Glenlivet Estate.