Tomatin 23yo 1994/2018 (47.4%, Cadenhead Sherry Cask, 234b, 17/591): nose: a beautiful and refined sherry influence, with dried figs, dried dates, golden sultanas and dried apricots, all heated to the point they start sweating moisture, regardless of how dried they started out. It smells as golden as a barley field, and sweet as a jammy biscuit, suggesting Amontillado, or a warm Liège waffle splashed with date syrup. We have some hazelnuts too, leading to wholemeal bread just taken out of the oven (oooh!) This nose is anything but shy, yet it remains very elegant. In the long run, it is dried apricots that take over the ball, resting on an oilcloth. Perhaps those apricots were preceded by chocolate chips, but those have all gone, leaving but an earthy memory. The second nose adds a delicate freshness to that, with mint lozenges crawling into the frame. It joins clay to augment those dried fruits. Mouth: phwoar! Heated dried apricots, topped with a dusting of cocoa powder, and sprayed with droplets of lychee juice. It has got a more-clearly-earthy aspect, without giving the impression one is chewing on a mud patty. It also has quite an alcohol kick. Swirling it around the tongue reveals a lovely almond liqueur, nutty and softly bitter, and devoid of the sickly-sweet side from the commercially-available brands. The second sip feels somehow almost metallic -- a sharp blade, heated, then used to cut fruits, both fresh and dried. There is a minuscule drop of nail varnish too, barely noticeable, and a spray of acetone on wood, applied by someone who smokes mentholated cigarettes. Earthier and drier in the finish, it has dried dates, and orange rinds, dried as to becomes woody. It is long and warming, without surprise, comforting, even, not terribly different from an unsweetened plum liqueur. The second gulp confirms the acetone we detected in the mouth, still sprayed on wood, and throws almond and hazelnut skins into the mix for fun (and bitterness). Retro-nasal olfaction offers rancio and a stroll through a lovely dunnage warehouse. Although it becomes less spectacular with repeated sipping, it becomes less spectacular, not less delicious. All in all, it is outstanding. I found less subtle smoke today than the first time. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)
Happy birthday, MPD.
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