NV Tomintoul, 25YO, 43%

The day has just begun and the sun is barely up. But I will be hard pushed to find a more quaint and gorgeously balanced nose between now and sunset. The aroma would not be out of place in the garden outside my window, a sensual breeze of orange blossom and floral scents. Ulmo honey thinly spread on toast is about as heavy as it gets; no less subtle is the array of sweet notes on delivery, melting, meringue-like, into every crevice; the malt at times stacks up to make a short Speyside-themed speech; bitters slightly, though to no great detriment, as the oak quietly takes command. The malt and vague fruitiness drifts inexorably to the finale; a quiet masterpiece from one of Scotland’s criminally underappreciated great distilleries.

This is the oldest core expression of Tomintoul’s Gentle Dram, now available in the U.S. It is a classic of this style of Speyside single malt. Peaches, malt, honey, vanilla, and developing floral notes on the nose. Full-bodied, with ripe apples, cocoa, milky coffee, honey, vanilla, and soft spices. Spicy and drying, with plain chocolate in the relatively lengthy, mellow finish. Spring 2017, Gavin Smith, www.whiskyadvocate.com