Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks Review

I’m not the biggest fan of Tomatin, so when this Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks was recommended to me I hesitated just a bit. But, in the end, since the people recommending it (Nate and Joel) know a thing or three about whisky, I decided to give it a go. Both have good taste and on the whole I trust their judgment.

Ex-Port barrels are tricky. If you’ve followed this site for a while, it’s something I bring up a lot because very few get it right. Either the port is nonexistent or it’s so powerful it overwhelms and you lose the initial spirit. Tomatin is a fairly light whisky to begin with so my main concern for this one lay in the latter camp. As always, there’s only one way to know, so let’s get to drinkin’ and see where this one sits.

Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Highland

Distiller: Tomatin
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon, ex-Port
Age: 14 Years
ABV: 46%

Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $90

White background tasting shot with the Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“The Tomatin 14 Year Old is soft, smooth and sweet, benefiting from its time spent in Tawny Port casks which previously held port for around 50 years.” – Tomatin

Tasting Notes

EYE
Pinkish honey

NOSE
Mixed berry muffin, Vanilla frosting, honey, malt, wax, baking spice and touches of nuts and cocoa.

Warm and elegant with a solid delivery of pastry dessert-level notes.

PALATE
Mixed berry taffy, vanilla, honey, cocoa, malt, nuts and wax with touches of spice, dried orchard fruit and pastries.

This Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks is fun, tasty and has a nice pairing of light and dark notes that come through balanced.

FINISH
Medium -> Fruity, malty, pastry dessert sweet and fades a bit nutty.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good balance, medium body with a soft and fruity feel.

Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks – Overall Thoughts and Score

It doesn’t scream port, but it’s noticeably there and nicely balanced. I’m actually a bit shocked by this and was expecting it to fall to the light or the overdone, I wasn’t expecting this seemingly hard-to-find middle ground and I’m pleasantly surprised.

This is a nice sippable whisky and, as of writing this, can definitely call it my favorite of the Tomatin line. Simple, elegant, delectable, flavorful, etc. etc. it’s a whisky I’ll be happily sipping and sharing with my friends. Tomatin 14 Years Port Casks is indeed a well-done port-finished Scotch.

SCORE: 3.5/5