Tomatin Contrast (Bourbon Matured)

Overall rating: 86.55/100
votes: 57

Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Tomatin
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie: Limited Release
Bottled: 03.06.2015
Casktype: Ex-Bourbon Casks
Number of bottles: 5400
Strength: 46.0 % Vol.
Size: 350 ml
Bottle code: L 03 06 15
Barcode: 5018481024182
Added on: 28 Jul 2015 8:53 am by z-imaging

Average value

€ 112,91

Found 14 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 89,00

	Master of Malt	£ 96,76

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Whisky Reviews for Tomatin Contrast (Bourbon Matured)

13 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 86.55 points

St. Pauli scored this whisky 86 points
16 Sep 2018 5:24 pm
A well-balanced whisky, and a good example of the “bourbon side” of the comparison. It has the vanilla, the white and yellow fruit, and a green side to counterbalance. It’s well made, maybe not entirely my taste but that is another discussion.

Nose

87 87

The nose is rich and complex, in which both young and older aspects can be found. On the one hand there is distillate-driven pear and icing sugar. On the other hand, there are notes of vanilla, sweet grapes and white raisin, tangerine, mint and a dash of salt.

Taste

85 85

The sweet and mellow side of whisky. It shows a creamy side (vanilla custard), ample fruit (melon, tinned peach, lychee), a soft influence of polished oak, toffee, and cooling mint. It’s good, just (which I think suits very good to this experiment) maybe a bit middle of the road.

Finish

85 85

The finish is rather long and quite well balanced. On the one side, there is still this creamy texture of vanilla cream, on the other side there is a bit more polished wood coming to the fore. It mingles well with the tropical fruit and orchard fruit. A the end there is a green note of grass and mint that lifts this whisky a bit.
Marko_I did not rate this whisky
12 Apr 2018 9:03 pm
Saulecker. I regret it a little, not to have kept the vial. If the sherry twin tastes even halfway "normal good", the 2x0.35 set for ~ 90 € is definitely worth it.

Nose

Geil-O-Mat - even while pouring a fresh Tropifrutti cloud! In the glass delicious exotic fruit salad, white grapes, green gooseberries, cool and fresh, but also feels a bit dusty, dry sawdust, some white pepper, a touch of freshly dried hay, could also be some mint underneath ... oh yes, im Background still somewhere vanilla and white chocolate, but I prefer to concentrate on the gooseberries ;-)

Taste

As usual you have to screw down the expectation a little after so'nem fruit nose carnival, gaaanz the taste can not keep up there most of the time, but it is still very tasty - from the fruit salad is more grapefruit-lime-gooseberry-soda, a bit sparkling, served with mild white pepper, a little nutmeg and a creamy milk chocolate / drinking cocoa base underneath. Strength just right, pretty intense, very tasty.

Finish

long, warm, first creamy, milk chocolate, then dry, gently spicy and cocoa bitter, a hint of grapefruit
thijs100 scored this whisky 85 points
13 Feb 2016 2:28 pm
When I was nosing them both, the bourbon matured Tomatin took the lead. But whilst tasting its sherry matured counterpart took the lead and never relinquished it.

Nose

Fresh green notes of wet grass at first, but it quickly transforms into sweeter aromas of beeswax, vanilla and marzipan. Now lots of tropical fruit. Mango, avocado and ripe banana. Some wet cardboard in the background.

Taste

Spicy with pepper and cumin seeds. A fair amount of oak too. Traces of wax with grapefruit, soft banana and a hint of lemon peel.

Finish

Slightly bitter at first and a tad dry, but it ends sweet and fruity.
markjedi1 scored this whisky 85 points
04 Jan 2016 9:53 pm

Contrast

Last summer Tomatin launched a limited release of 5.400 sets of 2 different vattings: bourbon and sherry. The half bottles are composed from casks from 1973, 1977, 1988, 1991, 2002 and 2006. That way, we can discover the difference of wood maturations in all its glory.

The Tomatin bourbon is light and accessible on the nose, with touches of tropical fruit. Think gooseberry, pineapple and some eucalyptus. Quite some banana. Nothing earth shattering, but textbook Tomatin. The Tomatin sherry, however, is more timid and somewhat dirty. I get some toffee, brown sugar and rum raisins, but also some earthy notes and something that reminds me of yoghurt. The Tomatin sherry is my preferred one. 0-1 for the sherry, although both are very good.

The Tomatin bourbon is softly spiced, but does enjoy a nice complexity of creamy vanilla, white fruit and spices. Loads of oak, it has to be said. The banana is very present on the palate. The Tomatin sherry lacks the creaminess of the bourbon, but makes up for that with a huge spiciness. Plums and raisins are supported by some woodsmoke and loads of spices. Think pepper, nutmeg and cloves. However, I did prefer the bouron, which makes it a tie: 1-1.

The finish on the Tomatin bourbon is medium long and mildly drying, but lovely warm. The finish of the Tomatin sherry is long and warm, but with a bitter edge towards the end, which I did not expect, knowing that it was all first fill oloroso sherry casks. 2-1 for the bourbon release.

I really quite like the bourbon version, which suits Tomatin well, but they are very close. Of course, it is not a match. Both whisky’s perform considerably well. A set will cost 140 EUR. Thanks, Sjoerd, for the samples.

85/100 for the Tomatin bourbon
84/100 for the Tomatin sherry
marmeladow scored this whisky 92 points
22 Feb 2020 6:47 am

After enjoying Bottle 3603, bottle 3605 was very good and was very well received during a tasting session with six aficionados. Here, too, the bourbon variant was just ahead
marmeladow scored this whisky 92 points
22 Feb 2020 6:41 am
Takes a lot of air and time to taste. A very interesting and contrasting comparison of the barrel effects on the maturation process. successful vatting experiment with clearly traceable influences of a clear age and still somewhat youthful freshness (bottled in 2015, i.e. de jure approx. 9yo). Sometimes the sherry was better, sometimes the bourbon. Every dram in nuances is different

Nose

Color: beautiful clear gold. Legs: medium-strong
Diverse. In the foreground a sweet fruit cocktail, especially with tropical fruits, alongside citrus, vanilla and some oak

Taste

Powerful to start with, the 46% are good for the palate. Full complex aromas with spicy-peppery oak, quite edgy, but also nice fruit notes with sweetness and creamy vanilla. Diverse-tasty and tangy-tasty

Finish

Long, warm, pleasant mouthfeel. Complex, but also creamy and tasty.
In addition to oak, spice, vanilla, also sweet fruit tones and slight bitterness (espresso)
Artmount scored this whisky 89 points
15 Feb 2020 3:18 am
Nose

89 89

Citrus , green grape,

Taste

89 89

green apple, flora, sweet

Finish

88 88

medium to long
stefan_PB scored this whisky 84 points
16 Sep 2019 7:13 am
Pleasant Bourbon, who despite 46% is quite strong.

Nose

85 85

Very flowery, caramel, nut brittle, a hint of cinnamon and the typical bourbon aroma can be seen, later there is still a scent of light stone fruit

Taste

85 85

initially fruity towards pear, then hints of almond and creamy toffee, fresh and quite youthful vigorous

Finish

83 83

Long and very strong, again pear and a tiny touch of oak
LukasJakubDrabek did not rate this whisky
19 Aug 2018 2:46 pm

Tomatin Tasting Notes

Aroma: Golden syrup and honey. Lemon & lime. Almond and macadamia nuts, vanilla and custard.

Palate: Sweet vanilla custard and lemon sponge. Pineapple chunks, raspberries and icing sugar.

Finish: Sweet, fresh and mellow.
whiskycuse did not rate this whisky
08 Sep 2017 7:24 pm

Tasting Notes:
Nose: It starts with a slightly artificial, perfumed nose, which amazes me a little, but then settles and clears the way for pleasant citrus notes, limes and apples, and also a yeast-like sound mixes under. In addition, then honey, a little vanilla and powdered sugar, which is already everything, a little "little" that so old barrels have flowed into this bottling.
Mouth: Quite intense and surprisingly powerful for the 46% vol, lots of coconut, vanilla, with a short sweet tip, but then quite harsh, floral, with cocoa, caramel and herbs. The mouthfeel seems somehow unbalanced and a little "harsh", as they say in English so nicely.
Finish: Although with a certain residual sweetness, but with a focus on tart and slightly bitter notes.
Conclusion: Even if I prefer Tomatin rather the Bourbon keg maturation, it has not rudimentary as good as the sherry keg variant. This malt seems to me clearly unbalanced and especially not nearly as complex as I would have liked. The young barrels have the upper hand and the old go under, or were possibly drained and weak. https://whiskycuse.wordpress.com/

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