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Wine and single malt whisky from Tomintoul |
With certain malt brands, we who came to single malts from the world of wine now find ourselves on something of a backwards journey, as these brands are simply leading us… back into the world of wine. Tomintoul is a good example: many of their recent releases have been finished in wine casks of all sorts and from various origins. The names of these wines, in fact, now appear on the labels in place of age statements. Should we regret this shift? Not necessarily. |
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On the one hand, it seems the Scots have improved their finishing techniques—at least, that’s how it seems to us—and on the other hand, one has to have a bit of fun with it all... I do wonder, though, whether young malt enthusiasts, after tasting, say, a Tomintoul ‘Tempranillo’, will go on to take an interest in that great Spanish grape and perhaps even buy a few bottles of wine made thereof. |
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Tomintoul ‘Tempranillo Wine Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, 2024)  This isn’t sold at a high price, roughly €45. Quite a few prestigious Spanish wines made from tempranillo, such as certain Riojas or Ribera del Dueros, go for considerably more, though I doubt those are the types of casks used here. You’ll tell me, why not? Colour: white wine. Rather odd, as tempranillo is usually very red. Nose: it’s absolutely crammed with redcurrants and cherries, then comes a little vanilla and some apple juice. All in all, it’s fresh, light, not unpleasant, and not too vinous either. Increasing notes of toffee apple and barley sugar follow on. Mouth: I suspect these kinds of casks are notoriously difficult to balance, things tend to veer off quickly into bitter herbal teas, grape skins, even the stems. But here it stays reined in, the cherry keeps leading the dance, with just a few hints of strawberry jam chiming in. In short, it’s still quite unmistakably ‘tempranillo’. Finish: short and light, not unbalanced. Comments: I find this better than last year’s Pinot Noir version. SGP:451 - 79 points. |
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Tomintoul ‘Amarone Wine Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, 2024) From Spain we cross over to Italy, though Amarone della Valpolicella isn’t a grape variety like tempranillo, rather a style of dry red straw wine, with grapes that have been concentrated by drying before pressing. It’s typically made from corvina and rondinella grapes and enjoys a loyal following, particularly in... Scotland. No names mentioned. Colour: white wine. Once again, oddly pale. Nose: more rustic than the tempranillo, less daintily fruity, leaning more towards very ripe plums, blackberries, tobacco and wine cask notes. So, more vinous overall. Mouth: similar impressions but it fares better on the palate, even though the red wine presence is rather strong—something you wouldn’t expect just by looking at the colour. Maraschino, hints of pepper, budding vines, cherry clafoutis. Finish: not very long, but more on ginger, chlorophyll and a touch of pink pepper. Comments: not bad, this little ‘winesky’, though I found the tempranillo to be rather better balanced. SGP:461 - 78 points. |
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Tomintoul ‘Merlot Wine Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, +/-2022) Merlot’s grown just about everywhere these days, but this one hails from Bordeaux. You’ll say it’s found all over Bordeaux too, not only in Pétrus, and I think it’s even the number one grape there, ahead of the cabernets. Colour: white wine. Same comment as before. Nose: it’s rather fun to spot the differences among these major red grapes, and here we do indeed get cherry, but also some damson jam and a few violet touches, alongside a whiff of floral perfume (jasmine, almond blossom). A wee hint of stalks and leaves as well. Mouth: it’s drier, less sweet, more peppery, less fruity, more herbal, and not as immediately charming, though there is some fig tucked away. Finish: long and fairly herbal indeed, though the aftertaste is softer, with notes of marzipan. Comments: one wonders whether the grapes were destemmed or not. Also, it would have been nice to know the vintage. A shame it couldn’t be 2022, such a glorious year! SGP:461 - 77 points. |
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Tomintoul ‘Seiridh’ (40%, OB, Limited Edition, fist fill oloroso sherry cask finish, 6,000 bottles, 2022)  A limited edition bottled at 40% vol., which is a bit daring, though with oloroso, we’re on familiar ground. Colour: gold. Nose: reassuring stuff, calm and composed, with walnut cake and currants, followed by dates, a few touches of Easter chocolate (why Easter?) and even a Mars bar. Mouth: yes, this works, not as light as one might expect, nicely balanced, very much ‘dry sherry’, and unmistakably oloroso. Caramelised pecans—a killer—and a lovely drier sort of honey. Finish: not very long once again, but with a fine note of black tea. English breakfast tea rather than Scottish breakfast whisky, ha. Comments: I think this is really well done. At 45/46%, it would positively sing. SGP:551 - 82 points. |
Let’s turn to bourbon for a change… |
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Tomintoul ‘Tundra’ (40%, OB, bourbon, 1l, +/-2020) Never tried this little beast before, bottled—judging by the name—prior to the tragic events in Ukraine. You’ll say there’s tundra up north across all continents, be it America, Europe or Asia. Fair enough, let’s see if we can sniff out any moss or lichen... Colour: pale gold. Nose: no moss to report, rather pear, pineapple, vanilla and grist, plus a basket of this morning’s croissants. Mouth: this one fully lives up to Tomintoul’s slogan, ‘The Gentle Dram’. Scones and muffins, Earl Grey, barley, a little green tea, then a reprise of nicely ripe pear and apple. It whispers more than it shouts, but it’s charming. Finish: short but soft and fresh, without any misstep, save for a faint dusty note in the aftertaste. Comments: very honest and loyal, no needless fuss. Yep ‘tundra’ is truly a Russian name, apparently. SGP:441 - 80 points. |
Right then, let’s try to seek out something a bit more refined, from the indies of course, and then we’ll call it a day. |
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Tomintoul 2010/2024 (58.2%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 24023, 243 bottles)  We’ve got a rather good feeling about this one… Colour: full gold. Nose: starts off like a campfire where marshmallows are toasting, then moves toward fig tree and even a bit of tomato bush, before getting into all sorts of roots—maybe even some moss and lichen, ha. The fruits are playing hard to get at first, it seems, though we’ve got our secret weapon… With water: yes, cassata and a fruit salad of pale and yellow orchard fruits. Mouth (neat): boom, an orchard avalanche—plums of every kind, apples, pears, peaches, apricots… No worries, I shan’t list them all. A leafy touch helps rein it in just a bit. With water: here comes melon, quince, prickly pear, jujube… Finish: long and delicate, on a fruity Wulong tea. Comments: a very fine example of a malt that really deserves a few drops of H2O. SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Copyright
Serge Valentin & Angus MacRaild |
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