Tomatin 12 Year
Tomatin purported to be the largest whisky distillery in Scotland for a time in the late 1980s, though production has gone down since then. Like many distilleries in Scotland, a great deal of Tomatin’s output has gone into blends, though it has sought to increase awareness through single malt expressions over the past 10-15 years. Tomatin is also on the cutting edge of environmental responsibility and alcohol consumption awareness. A good thing, for we at Scotchology have always held that if you’re drinking single malt whisky to get blitzed out of your mind, you’re doing it wrong. The Tomatin 12 is from their core range of offerings.
Auchentoshan American Oak
The Lowland region of Scotland makes the Campbeltown region look crowded with distilleries. While encompassing a large area on the map, this region is only home to a few operating distilleries. This may be due to a large portion of the population being located in the south and thus not suitable for distilleries, as they need rather pure ingredients. That being said, the few distilleries that are there are doing well and making an effort in the market. Auchentoshan in particular has garnered positive reviews and offers a respectable stable of offerings, both in their regular and special editions. Their main range has a respectable 12, 18 and 21 year old, plus a triple wood and this American Oak, aged in first-fill American bourbon oak casks. We reviewed the Auchentoshan Classic but felt this distillery deserved more attention.
Tomatin 14 Year
Tomatin has a nice selection of relatively affordable single malts, each with a nice little twist to liven things up. Since we enjoyed the Tomatin 12 year with its sherry cask finish, we decided to see what this slightly older sibling could improve upon with its final eighteen months finishing in port casks. The Tomatin 14 also scored a 92.5/100 in Jim Murray’s 2015 whisky bible and is thankfully a mainstay in their line of offerings. Say what you will about that particular reviewer or book, this scotch seems good enough to warrant further attention.