Cadenhead's Tomatin 10yo...

Cadenhead's Tomatin 10yo (54.9%): Today's single malt is bottled by Cadenhead's and distilled in Tomatin. The bottle is released under their Authentic Collection label which means it is a single cask from one of the operating Scotch malt distilleries and bottled at cask strength to be sold exclusively in one of the nine Cadenhead's shops. The whisky was distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2018 from an ex-Bourbon hogshead yielding 270 bottles.

Color: Very pale yellow, dry hay. Actually it is almost clear to tell the truth... Thick oily and incredibly persistent legs around the glass.

Nose: Very spirit forward... Probably it was a refill hogshead. Mint jelly, iced green tea and cookie dough. Jordan almonds and After Eight thins. The nose reminds me candy stores from 80s... A few drops of water add mineral and herbal notes: Sparkling mineral water, pebbles and chamomile. Fresh sage and tarragon.

Palate: Dry malt, chalk and Ricola eucalyptus cough drops. It surely tastes younger than a ten year old whisky and it is pretty hot and mute at this abv. Adding some water: Barrel aged jenever, juniper berries and lemon twist. Speaking of lemon twist it is so spirity I might try to make a Martini spin-off with it later... I walked away from it for some time to let it air properly and when I came back it was significantly better: Parma Violets, roasted pine nuts and rosemary leaves. Salted caramel brittles and heavily burnt Catalan flan.

Finish: Long with paprika, white pepper and rock salt.

Overall: More or less it is how I was expecting it to be... Young(ish) cask strength bottlings from Cadenhead's with relatively pale colors tend to be always distillate forward, with minimal cask influence and a little challenging on the palate. I have been always a huge fan of them... It is a perfect way to learn distilleries' unique styles and to identify their new make characters. In the end if they are sourced from a distillery with a distillate you know and trust it is pretty hard to go wrong with these releases. They are always reasonably priced as well.

Price: £45

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