Best Cheap Tomatin? | Tomatin 14 REVIEW

[@marklange5509]

I watch all the major KZbin whisky review channels and your channel is by far the best. Really enjoy your reviews and the flow of your channel. Keep up the great work.

[@Gwhisky]

Damn, that's high praise! Genuinely honoured to hear it, Mark. Thank you! 🥃

[@sunryse111]

I immediately jumped on this one, Geoff. I love the 14-year old port cask. I guess I'm a sucker for sweet whiskies, huh? And I'm glad it's not just me that could taste strawberries in this one. It doesn't actually state if it was matured in port casks or just finished in them, but the effect is substantial and it's one of my favourites. Great review, my friend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐➕👍

[@Gwhisky]

Hey Victor. Glad to hear you're a fan of this one. It is on the sweeter side, but it's not without charm. I believe this to be a finished whisky, although you're right, it's not officially stated. Curious how you'd compare this to the Glenmorangie 14 year old port offering...

[@sunryse111]

@@Gwhisky All I can say, Geoff, is that this bottle has made me a big fan of the Tomatin expression. Glenmorangie tends to be just a little bit generic for me ....

[@WhiskyLoversSociety]

Enjoyed the review.

[@Gwhisky]

Thank you, sir. Appreciated! I see you've done the 12 but not this one. A good one for you to look at on the channel, I think. 🥃

[@WhiskyLoversSociety]

@@Gwhisky thanks. I will see if I can get it

[@whistlestopwonders]

This one just arrives and takes its place in my cabinet, then this review drops just after. Your timing is perfect. 😀 I find the Tomatin Legacy to be a fantastic entry level Whisky and I love port finished expressions so this was my logical next step. Fingers crossed it slaps when I try it!

[@Gwhisky]

It's not a favourite, but I'm not a port fan usually. If you are and you liked the Legacy then there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one. Fingers crossed! 🥃

[@jockmcallister]

The star of the range for us 😊🎉

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you enjoy! Thanks for watching, John. 🥃

[@sandrofazzolari8833]

I enjoy port cask whisky 🥃 so I will likely try this one. Thanks Geoff ! Ciao 👋 S

[@Gwhisky]

Hope you like it. Decent stuff! Cheers Sandro. 🥃

[@carlmartinlinder]

I am a huge fan of the 18-year (especially the more recent bottlings) and the cask strength. I have been thinking of getting this 14-year for a long time. I like Port cask whisky so I might pull the trigger now....But then again, there is so much good out there. Good review as always Geoff

[@Gwhisky]

The cask strength is one I might review eventually. I've had a couple bottles of it before. Prone to batch variation, but generally good stuff! If you like Tomatin and you like port then this one should be an easy like for you. It's a solid casual sipper! Cheers Martin!

[@richardagnew4959]

Useful review. I've always wondered about this one. Might give it a punt. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, eh!? :)

[@Gwhisky]

Hah my pleasure. Right back at you, sir! 🇨🇦

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Excellent review, Geoff. I've been missing an up-to-date review of Tomatin 14 in English. I can't think of another huge industrial-class distillery that has a core range without a single 40% ABV expression. Even their budget, NAS offering, the Legacy, is at 43% and for what it is and what it costs it is a gem. Personal preferences aside, Tomatin does what every other big distillery should do: making well presented, consistent, quality product. Yes, they lack spectacular stuff in their widely available expressions, but they also don't churn tons of castrated, poorly presented super-market BS when it comes to single malt. And their stuff is reasonably priced. Their spirit profile seems to be quite versatile so it can be bottled fairly young (Legacy, Cask Strength), but also go the distance of 30-40 and above years in the cask. Also they have many limited releases of odd finishes some of which have been met pretty well by the whisky fans. I suppose having huge industrial capacity and knowing how to use it helps a great deal :) For all of the above, I have a great respect for Tomatin. They may never reach the cult status of say Edradour but sure as hell they won't go as low as Diageo does neither. As for this particular expression, I haven't had it yet, although it has been on my radar for quite a while. Still under 50 euros in Bulgaria despite the recent whisky price hike all over the board. I've had Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban and liked it quite a bit, plus in Bulgaria it still can be found for less money than Tomatin 14. Nevertheless I will definitely give Tomatin 14 a try someday. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Good point. On a visceral level, they aren't a favourite brand of mine. But they are doing what very few distilleries do, which is put out a line that's mostly well-presented, natural, age-stated, and affordable. Respect where it's due. Btw... did you change your name to the English spelling after Roy's live stream the other day?😉

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

@@Gwhisky Yep :) Apparently KZbin had taken my name from the Google account, but I didn't care and was too lazy to go and change it in Latin lettering. Until Roy tried to read my name and welcome me to the vPub :) And to top it, I was AFK, watching on the TV, because I had to keep an eye on our 1 month old baby so my wife could take a couple of hours of sleep before the next feeding, so I couldn't even type in the live chat. I just had to apologize to Roy the next day for appearing so rude. BTW I have been thinking of joining the barflies for quite some time but it was the announce of you featuring the last vPub that made me finally do it :) Cheers!

[@peathead4450]

Thanks for reviewing this whisky, Geoff. I'm not a fan of port or wine finishes, so I leave tasting notes to others. Slàinte mhath

[@Gwhisky]

Hah cheers Peathead. Thanks for watching, buddy. 🥃

[@anthonylambert4523]

I finished a bottle of this recently.I enjoyed it a lot but it won't be a bottle I would replace.The Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 I bought again as soon as I finished the first bottle same goes for the Penderyn Portwood. My tastes are moving towards sweet peated Malts at the moment so my favourite Port finish is the Talisker Port Ruighe to be honest !!

[@Gwhisky]

Fair enough! Totally agree that there are better port options out there. Cheers Anthony! 🥃

[@marty_sugar]

👌🥃 cheers

[@Gwhisky]

Cheers my friend! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Good walk through. Interesting that I prefer the Tomatin 14 over the Glenmorangie. That said, I enjoy both. Thanks for sharing!

[@Gwhisky]

That is interesting! Thanks for watching, Jon. Cheers! 🥃

[@straubroli]

Thank for this video! I actually had one but hadn't opened it yet. I opened it now cause you've made me curious. I'm a Port fan btw. But I really enjoy sherry finished whiskeys as well. I didn't really taste the sweetness in Tomatin 14, rather Quinta Ruban tested sweeter and I do agree that Quinta Ruban is better. However, I would recommend you try and maybe review Arran Port Cask. IMP it's better than the former 2 even though it's NAS. If you've tried, it let me know what you think in comparison to the other 2. Also,as for future videos, I would be interested to see comparisons between different bottles of differently finished whiskeys! Thanks again! Great content! Keep it up! Also enjoy the new comic relief during your videos 😀

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks for the kind words and the suggestion, Roland! I've had the Arran Port Cask before and liked it, although I remember it being quite sweet for me. It's been a while since I had it, so I might come back to it eventually. In my mind, though, the Glenmo 14 is as good as it gets when it comes to affordable port finishes. Cheers!

[@ADSCP]

There is an important thing I would like to add. This Tomatin uses Tawny Port casks, with Glenmorangie uses ruby port. Tawny Port is more solid and oily than the ruby port wich is a lighter style of port wine. I rarely drink ruby port but I’m a fan of Tawny port wich is always age stated, starting with 10 year olds.

[@Gwhisky]

Useful info, Antonio. Thank you! I admit I know very little about port, having only tried it a handful of times. Cheers!

[@paulkukiel3725]

New to the channel and enjoying your content, Geoff. Only have had the Tomatin 18. While enjoyable, it’s not something I want to go back to often. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Paul, and welcome! Yeah the 18 is decent but nothing special. Cheers! 🥃

[@BanjoSick]

This is waiting for me in Portugal at my in laws, befitting the cask:). Liked it, but wasn’t super impressed by it. Have seen several videos of the staff at Tomatin and they seem to be really great people. I want them to succeed, so I will buy som Cu Bocan in my search for smthg to really love by them.

[@Gwhisky]

Can't say I know anyone from Tomatin but I'm sure they're great people. But that aside, they do actually deserve praise for having affordable whiskies that are (mostly) age stated and naturally presented. Not a lot of brands doing that these days. Cheers buddy. 🥃

[@Alex-pr6zv]

Since you're at the source, I'd be interested to hear how you rate the Kavalan Podium as a mid-priced offering and how you think it compares to similarly priced offerings.

[@Gwhisky]

Interesting. I've had the Podium before but it was ages ago. Good idea, I'll consider it. Cheers Alex, appreciate the suggestion. 🥃

[@sambrewster8556]

Just picked up the cask strength Tomatin - currently available for £45 in the UK which must make it the best value cask strength around at the moment. Enjoy the Legacy too - definitely a solid recommendation for a beginner.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah they may not be my favourite brand, but they definitely have some solid options. 🥃

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

A good review. I might've given a point or two higher score. I'm glad you brought up Glenmorangie 14 which is similar, and where I live, can be about $15 less expensive than the Tomatin 14; and the Glenmorangie 14 is far more available and preferable IMHO.

[@Gwhisky]

They're about the same price here, but as far as I'm concerned there's no contest. The Glenmo is just a much better whisky. Cheers Chris! 🥃

[@bertko1710]

Let's get my port on ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻 EDIT: Sorry Geoff the OSWAS link is not in the description

[@Gwhisky]

Damn, you're right. Good catch, Albert. Fixed! 🥃

[@aaabbbccc543]

the 30 and 36 are excellent

[@lukashavel7690]

There is that Tomatin 15 American Oak Cask. It is travel exclusive I think, but it should be widely available. Try that one. It is both creamy and spicy. And it is an interesting one. Not the traditional ex-bourbon dram, which I have sometimes problems to distinguish (like Glencadam 10 from Deanston 12 - though I love them both of course).

[@Gwhisky]

Interesting. I think I've seen that one in one of my local shops. One to consider! Appreciate the reccomendation, Lukáš!

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Geoff, yes this is a better Tomatin, I’ve enjoyed my time with this but I do really prefer the 12 yr old quinta rubin. Also price/quality is also fair. Another Tomatin that I like is the 15 yr old American oak. Slàinte Geoff.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I agree. Much prefer the Glenmo. I'll have to try that American Oak 15 at some point. Cheers David! 🥃

[@davidowen2834]

@Auberginenpeter the earlier version’s were 12 yrs old then Glenmorangie upped the age to 14 years. Haven’t had the 14 so cant say what it’s like.

[@andrewbutler7681]

@Auberginenpeter I find the Quinta Ruban 14 to be 'sharper' or 'more tangy' than the 12 - I can see some people preferring that, but I like softer drams, so it's the 12 for me...

[@lightplays2181]

Hi Geoff ! Legacy and 12 "simple" whisky and i hope 14 y.o. better ) Cheers !

[@Gwhisky]

It's definitely better than the 12. The Legacy is simpler, but also really enjoyable. Depends on what you want. This one is quite sweet. Cheers Light! 🥃

[@lightplays2181]

@@Gwhisky I want good whisky in cheap price ))) Cheers - Gaumarjos !!

[@ADSCP]

I’m a “port guy” but had some trouble with this in the beginning, because it felt a bit hot. Fortunately it really improved with oxidation. I really could buy it again but I also agree with you, I also prefer the Quinta Ruban.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you enjoy this one, Antonio. It's got some charm, even though it's not a favourite of mine. Solid, naturally presented, and affordable. Always good things. Cheers. 🥃

[@DileepB]

The port casks do overwhelm the taste of the spirit. The Glenmorangie 14 year old Quinta Ruban is similar as you say, and it costs $20 less where I shop.

[@Gwhisky]

I get some of the fermented lighter fruity notes from the distillate, but yes, the port is still quite loud here.

[@dextercool]

I tried Tomatin once and found it very ordinary with nothing very distinctive about it - but it was at a bar - at home I might have more time to discover something there? Unlike many I suspect, I actually like port finishes - adds a nice change - so this plus the age statement might make it a try before I buy. Getting jiggy with the port is my thang!

[@Gwhisky]

This guy gets his Port on. ⬆️ Hah yeah if you're a fan of Port this one es a solid option! 🥃

[@aframs-cctaf-rams-cct6424]

You’ll be a port guy after trying the Kilkerran 8 port. Lol

[@Gwhisky]

Hah I do make exceptions... 😉

[@hansvaneenennaam457]

A kindly left "like" Nice review Geoff. Maybe you can review a Kilkerran 8 or 15 Portcask some time?

[@Gwhisky]

I'd love to, but it's quite expensive in my market. About 2.5x the price of the 12...

[@hansvaneenennaam457]

@@Gwhisky Let me check out postal regulations and costs. I still have a 8 y/o cask strength Batch 5 on the shelf, maybe I can send over a sample.

[@daveandrews5485]

Phenomenal

[@Gwhisky]

Cheers Dave! 🥃

[@jamiebrown196]

Much better than the 18 IMO. And definitely worth the extra bump compared to the 12.

[@Gwhisky]

Definitely agree with the second point! I still prefer the 18, but it's not a favourite. I can see why you'd prefer this one.

[@murduk88]

+5 for mentioning strawberry ... nobody ever does, and I can't figure that out, because Tomatin 14 tastes like strawberry cheesecake to me pretty much every sip. Thanks for giving this one the treatment. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks for watching! 🥃

[@peatbull3426]

Your review is perfect timing for me Geoff. I just back from hols in Portugal. As always i was drinking load of Port Wine and Madeira Wine as well which i really like. But like you im not a fan of port finish whisky. I love Talisker and i still good remeber my dissapointment after 1st sip of Port Roughi. Only port finish whisky i really like was old 16yo Bushmills more than 12 years ago. Hard to say now because drinking scotch for a years my palate probably have changed. So according to your review: Tomatin? Not really. Port finish Tomatin? Meh. Next please. Another good informative review i watched with pleasure doesnt matter i like whisky or not. P.S. Ledaig 9yo Bordeaux wine finished landed on market priced higher than 18yo Brother. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. 🥃🙋‍♂️

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks so much Peatbull. The kind words and comments mean a lot. For anyone who isn't a port fan (at least in whisky) I don't think this will impress. As for the Ledaig - I had no idea they had a 9 year old Bordeaux release. Could be interesting, but why the hell is it more than the 18? Madness...

[@ADSCP]

Also try Madeira finished whiskies, a very different experience from sherried and Port casked ones.

[@peatbull3426]

@@ADSCP i tried once 21yo Bushmills. After 16yo i expected lot more as 5years more of age. Still have half a bottle. Not impressed at all. Not my cup of tea. There are few exceptions any wine finish i like: Kilkerran 8 heavily peated, Ledaig Rjocha cask and some HP and Benromach expressions but usually i prefer bourbon casks 🤷‍♂️. 🥃🙋‍♂️

[@ADSCP]

@@peatbull3426 I’m also an ex-bourbon guy as I actually like bourbon and rye too. One of my favorite bottles is the Kavalan Ed-bourbon oak (not the Solist version).

[@peatbull3426]

@@ADSCP yes, rye stuff is good. I check this Kavalan out but hope is not pricey like most Kavalan whiskies. Maybe i will buy it as Christmas Present to myself 😋🥃🙋‍♂️

[@ninetyZeven]

3:04 They're glassy ?

[@Gwhisky]

Small label, lots of glass showing.

[@ninetyZeven]

@@Gwhisky mh yes.

[@NicolasMD85]

This one is available in my market, but it's anything but affordable- 80 euros!

[@Gwhisky]

Oof. Yeah that's too much!

[@NicolasMD85]

@@Gwhisky Yeah, I have to choose my battles much more careful this days mates.

[@danrdey]

It's way way better than Quinta , not even comparison here . Indeed , Tomatin 14 is just an outstanding delicious dram .

[@redsox367]

I prefer this over the 12 year old but less than the legacy. I have a soft spot for flavours of berries and wine in a whisky.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you like it. Solid easy sipper! 🥃

[@charlessmith2223]

It’s good but glenmorangie 14 is way better and a little cheaper. Tomatin 12 is an outstanding whiskey for the price though. 45 bucks in my area.

[@KnickKiller]

I’ve gone through three bottles over the years and it just doesn’t stand out. It’s not bad, but it’s hard to justify purchasing a boring and forgettable whisky.

[@Gwhisky]

Agree. Not bad but not interesting enough to really get behind. Cheers Thomas. 🥃

[@KnickKiller]

@Auberginenpeter Apologies I wasn’t specific. I bought three different bottles from the distillery over a period of time. Different releases. Wasn’t disappointed by any of them, but none of them stood out.

[@cato451]

I have a policy: life is too short to drink cheap whisky. Tomatin is cheap whisky.

[@jackthepickledhound]

Absolutely agree. However the 18 is no longer cheap.

[@Gwhisky]

Makes sense! 🥃

[@peatbull3426]

You 101% right but when whisky is cheap but good it changes point of view. But i know what you mean. Never sipped Tomatin because all reviews i watched and red simply telling me it average, forgetable expressions. Im not even bought Legacy when seen it in sale price of £20. Once considered to buy their CS but there are much more better CS's in similar pricing so dont care. Anyway there is much more pleasure for me to watch Geoff's review drinking stuff i realy like in same time. 😁🥃🙋‍♂️

[@peatbull3426]

@Auberginenpeter €35?? 😂 £55 it was at time so i bought HP2 CS, GS 8 CS and Kilkerran 8 CS in aprox same price. Today's price of Tomatin CS at Master of Malt is £50 so i could consider to buy. Close to your €35 is Finlaggan CS 58% which is Brilliant for me as a peaty whisky lover. 🤷‍♀️🥃🙋‍♂️

[@peatbull3426]

@Auberginenpeter so you are so lucky in Germany. GS 8 peated PX i paid £55

[@ironmantran]

good video : sorry, no wine-sk(e)y for me.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah! Fair enough! 🥃