.tomatin - cù bòcan

Whenever you travel the Highlands of Scotland at night and find yourself in the vicinity of the village of Tomatin, beware of the hell-hound that haunts the neighbourhood! The Tomatin distillery found the beast and tried to bottle this legend...

46% abv, €50, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, a hint of smoke, gym's locker room, rather young, raw cookie dough, creamy, salted butter, dried orange peel, marmalade, green wood sap 

Palate: cookie dough, sweet, vanilla, heather honey, drying mouth-feel, floral, thistle, spicy, cloves

Finish: a hint of smoke, sweet, wet malt, young-ish, medium long
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: I am not too enthusiastic; there are better ways to spend your €50. Don't get me wrong, she is not a bad drink, but a slightly longer period of maturation it would not have damaged the result. Also the phenols (now "only" at 15ppm) could have been a little higher (and from a reliable source I heard they are experimenting with that), the young smell and taste might have been less noticeable, but - although the young spirit is an okay flavour - this is not the dram I was looking for. More monster you put in, convinced I might get.

More info: www.cu-bocan.com

Many thanks to Whisky Discovery Dave for the sample