Tomintoul distillery is located in Ballindalloch, Banffshire in the Speyside region and was founded as recently as 1964 by W&S Strong & Co. and Hay & MacLeod who formed Tomintoul Distillery Ltd.

Production started in 1965 and continued until 1973 when Scottish Universal Investment Trust purchased the distillery.

They doubled the number of stills in 1974 from two to four and then in 1978 the company was sold to Lonrho.

Whyte & Mackay was sold to Brent Walker in 1989.

Tomintoul was sold once again in 2000, this time to Angus Dundee Ltd who are still the owners when I write this in March 2012.

Tomintoul whisky has always been almost exclusively used in blends, formerly the Whyte & Mackay ones, but today I'm not so sure which. I have seen figures quoted that it isn't many years ago when only 2% of production was bottled as single malt.

More great distillery info here thanks to Malt Madness

Distillery photos by kind permission of Teun van Wel

Tomintoul (OB)

General whisky characteristics: Aromatic, sweet, orange, liquorice

Tomintoul, (OB), 10y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Gentle gold

Nose: I've just stuck my nose into sweet, aromatic marshmallow coated in (pink) candy floss with slight hints of aniseed.

Palate: Not as sweet as the nose would promise (thankfully) as it turns from an initial creaminess to spicy, tingling slightly bitter liquorice.

Finish: Medium to long

Overall Impression: Very different. Do I like it? Yes I think so, even though the nose was very sweet and pink! In fact, you can't go through life without trying this one.

Tomintoul, (OB), 16y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Light amber

Nose: Aromatic in a faint kind of way. Not as sweet as the 10y as this has malt, some orange (almost mandarin / satsuma) and autumnal leaves.

Palate: Creamy and silky with no tingle or burn. This starts with a burst of coconut but very quickly suggests also an aniseed presence with a slightly liquorice finish.

Finish: Long with hints of coconut fading to liquorice.

Overall Impression: Not as sweet as the 10y with a little more depth of flavour and slightly richer aftertaste. I'm getting to like Tomintoul.

Tomintoul, (OB), 27y, 40% ABV

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Dark amber / bronze

Nose: I initially want to say aromatic bay leaves soaked in orange (or even cointreau), but it's a little more than that, possibly including some soft brown sugar or even a dash of excellent rum.

Palate: Rich, smooth and creamy, but without screaming its presence like the 10y. This one takes time, it's gentle, unassuming and rather polite as it slowly allows its character of rich fruits, gently toasted almonds and ginger cake to caress the palate in a full-bodied but still subtle way.

Finish: Long and rich, but gentle.

Overall Impression: Smooth and sophisticated, treat it with kindness and it will reward.

Tomintoul 10y, 16y & 27y Head to Head

These may all be from the same stable, but make no mistake, they are three very different whiskies each with a unique character. The 10y has an unbelievably sweet nose which reminds me of a cross between a childhood funfare where coconut and candy floss abound and a real, olde world childhood sweet-shop!

The 16y has definitely grown up or matured somewhat with suggestions of coconut, aniseed orange and liquorice, but when we talk about maturing, then the 27y is a fully fledged adult. It is smooth and rich, but very coy as it is slow to reveal its full charm and needs a little gentle coaxing to do so.

Yes, the 27y is the best offering here, but make no mistake, neither the 10y or 16y are bad whiskies, in fact, I would recommend that people try all three as each has something rather different to offer!

Tomintoul (IB)

Whisky Agency, Tomintoul, 1967-2011, 43y, 49.8% ABV

'Liquid Sun' series, bourbon hogshead, one of 209 bottles

Typical cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Munich Whisky Fair

Colour: Pale but bright yellow gold

Nose: Lots of grasses and hay with hints of passion fruit. After a short while a suggestion of cereal or malt develops, maybe even likened to popcorn? Further development occurs after another 3-4 minutes in the glass to the point where I can only describe this now as "absolute driftwood".

Palate: A slightly watery mouth-feel offers lots of flavour with oats, vanilla, baked apple and then the faintest hint of liquorice leading into the finish.

Finish: Long

Overall Impression: A good and most enjoyable whisky, but why do I somehow expect even more from a whisky of this age?