Tomatin 18

On the nose: The first thing that strikes me is a sweet toffee and black treacle, followed by a fruity and floral confectionery note, reminiscent of those cherry lips you see in pick and mix at the cinema. There’s some rosewater, toffee apple, raisin, cinnamon spice, a slight dusty earthiness and damp hay. The longer it spends in the glass, the more of those grassy hay notes come to the fore.
In the mouth: It’s a rather rich dram; I probably wouldn’t want to drink it all night! Sweet highland toffee creaminess is followed by bitter oak spice, sultanas, heather honey, 70%+ cocoa chocolate and a little tobacco. The finish is fairly long and oaky, with hazelnut, some cracked black pepper and salt.