The second of six samples offered at the June 2023 outturn event of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This was a 9 year ex-bourbon Tomintoul, bottled at a rousing 67.5% ABV (!). The SMWS doesn't get a lot of Tomintoul, which is too bad, because this distillery does particularly well in independent bottlings.
Strong vapours of menthol and mint suggested soothing muscle rub with sandalwood incense and almond biscuits topped with cumin and caraway seeds. Dry flavours of pencil shavings and nutmeg in hessian sacks sweetened towards floral honey, butterscotch and nut butter before warming ginger wine was served. The floral notes expanded when adding water to form fresh laundry and aromatic tea leaves blended with orange sherbet and icing sugar. Herbal aromas, hazelnut oil and toffee combined to create a sticky cough mixture while custard cream biscuits became coated with whipped cream. Flavours now embraced cocoa nibs and fragrant tobacco with exotic wood resins and the lasting character of burnt cranberries.
Quite an odd assortment of flavors here - seems very dry and savory indeed. Let's investigate:
Nose: Berries, red fruit, honey, caramel, vanilla, white grapes (a la Sauternes).
With water, it gets more floral, some pepper and spice come out, it gets a little "dusty," and more berries emerge.
Mouthfeel: Slightly thicker than average.
Palate: Sugar/vanilla, figs, honey, lots of alcohol, blackberries, herbs.
Finish: Fruit and numbing alcohol.
Verdict: This is interesting - it diverged fairly significantly from the official notes. I never got mint or menthol, nor did any of my seatmates. We also didn't sense cumin, caraway, almond, sandalwood, or most of the rest of notes either. What we all agreed on was (1) floral, (2) honey, (3) sugar, and (4) herbs. Go figure. Either way, this was good, and if I hadn't exhausted my whisky funds during the festival season, I'd pick this up.
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