Tomatin distillery is fast becoming a favourite of mine, sitting in the Highlands of Scotland this distillery was on my to visit list, and that I did in June ( 2016 ) whilst there I came upon the “beast ” they call Cu Bocan, this is a series which includes 3 releases that are limited editions, a sherry cask, virgin oak and Bourbon cask.. All 3 are lightly peated and are limited to 6000 bottles. All are NCF and have a peat strength of 15ppm, all 3 have been bottled at 46%abv ..
Todays review is the virgin oak..
Nose.. Quite fruity which is quite typical of Tomatin, some citrus with gentle vanilla, caramel and toffee notes, a hint of citrus and some subtle spices.. Not quite as intense as I expected for virgin oak..
Palate.. A little more spicy with a gentle drying feel, the fruit is still there in the form of peaches and poached pear but very subtle, the sweetness comes from vanilla and toffee notes, some caramel and a faint nutty flavour mingles with the most subtle smoke effect.
Finish.. A medium finish that is spicy and oaky in taste with a drying effect.
Thoughts.. I was expecting a quite big nose and palate but I found it quite subtle and a lot more delicate than I expected, now with that said it was very enjoyable and will probably appeal to more because off it.. This is very well balanced and has some very nice layers to unwrap.. It is certainly intriguing and makes you think about what your sipping, so once again well done Tomatin, another great release and another one for the shelf..
ocdwhisky.com 
Hi Charlie.
No need to be sorry, if this is not to your taste then it’s not for you.. my notes are only my opinion and should be taken that way.. Thanks for your comments. 👍
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Didn’t enjoy this at all and can’t agree with your notes, it was very bland and tasted cheap. Sorry
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I am a big fan of Tomatin and the cu bocan series is my favourite. Great review.
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After exploring for a little bit for any quality articles or blog posts in this kind of area I am happy I have found your blog. I will without a doubt will make certain to re-visit.
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I have tried this and it is a good whisky, what score would you give it ? I thought it was a 86.
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Compared to normal virgin oak it was quite subtle but I liked it because of that.. It’s good stuff 👍
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Another good review Sorren, this one did take me a little by surprise when I tried it. So different from the standard Cu bocan and a lovely dram. Should have the other two soon to try, it’ll be nice to compare all of them side by side and see the differences..
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