Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish is the same whisky that’s in the Tomintoul 10 just aged for 2 more years and finished in Oloroso Sherry casks. Though Tomintoul doesn’t just choose any casks for this oh no, it’s “…lovingly crafted, from a selection of the finest Oloroso sherry casks, and aged for at least 12 years.” If you read yesterday’s post about the Tomintoul 10 year you’ll notice a trend in the way they talk about their whisky.
Reading through their site is quite the experience. They call this whisky the gentle dram and that name seems to also come through in the marketing speak. The whole site reads like something my mom would have written and the majority of their whisky descriptions copied and pasted with only a word or two changed between them. It’s almost as if they can’t tell their own whiskies apart and if they can’t then how will the customer? On to the Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish review.
Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish Info
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: Tomintoul
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40%
Price: $50
Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish Review
EYE
“Toasted” hay (a slightly darker shade of hay)
NOSE
Light and simple notes of gingerbread, cocoa, spice, fruit, malt, butterscotch and toasted bread struggle to make themselves known.
PALATE
My tastebuds barely even noticed that notes of dry sweetness, malt, spice, fruit, minerals and a touch of dried fruit slip over over then. Something “vermouthish” poked its head up a wee bit before it dove into the finish.
FINISH
Short misting of spice, malt, fruit and a bit of that vermouth-like quality and iodine.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not much to balance, but what’s there leans towards the sweet side of things. Light thin body with a thin light feel.
OVERALL
I honestly would not have known the Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish was finished in sherry if it hadn’t been in the name. This one could have been marketed as being in 100% Bourbon barrels and I don’t think anyone would have questioned it. They must have been some severely worn out casks, like ones on their 17th fill.
Normally you can get a hint from the color that a sherry barrel was employed, but that was not the case with the Tomintoul 12 Oloroso Finish. Sitting a glass of this next to the Tomintoul 10 it was barely any darker and only slightly redder. Like the Tomintoul 10 it was light and watery from beginning to end and more boring than offensive… just not quite as boring as the 10.
SCORE: 77-79/100 (C+, not consumed at home)
