Tomatin - Batch 5 30-Year-Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (46%)

My very first impressions of this whisky are of quiet confidence. Subtle in hue and traditional in outlook, this has the old-fashioned, reliable core strength of a barrel-hauling cooper – as opposed to the oiled, rippling physique of a chiselled bodybuilder.

The palate shows the time-honoured rewards of the cask-makers craft. This is nutty, softly spicy, and reassuringly toothsome. All the while, those woody notes gently cushion and support a thread of gorgeous old malt, woven into the fabric of this dram thirty years ago.

This is a quiet one to think about; maybe one to accompany a non-sensationalist documentary podcast, with a few nibbles of well-aged Comté cheese if possible.

Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (March 2023)