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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 20: Tomintoul Peaty Tang

Posted on December 20, 2021

by Evan

We are staying in Speyside for Day Twenty's dram within the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar. We are also potentially going younger than yesterday's 9-Year-Old Aberlour from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Today, we will be tasting the non-age-stated Tomintoul Peaty Tang!

The oddly named Tomintoul Peaty Tang has been available since at least 2007 according to what I could dig up on Whiskybase.com - the whisky consumer's best resource for bottle information (not a paid promotion - I am just a genuine fan of the site). The 2022 Edition of the Malt Whisky Yearbook states that this whisky was launched in 2008. The Malt Whisky Yearbook should be taken as the one and only annual whisky book that extols the gospel truth, so we will go with that (also not a paid promotion, but Kensington Wine Market does stock this holy book!).

I can remember this bottle being around for a long time, too. Tomintoul has been making heavily peated new make spirit runs off their stills since 2001 when it was initiated under Angus Dundee Distillers, which purchased the distillery in the year 2000. And I do mean heavily peated spirit - they use a peat spec of 55ppm for the malt, which puts it up with the likes of Ardbeg for peat level. The peated whisky they make is dubbed Ballantruan, which is named after an old settlement on the west side of the Tomintoul Distillery grounds. The Ballantruan Spring is also Tomintoul Distillery's water source. The Old Ballantruan 10 Year from Tomintoul is made with the heavily peated spirit, and if you have not yet tried that bottle out I suggest you do so: At 10 Years of age and 50% ABV it is criminally underrated peated whisky.

The Peaty Tang itself is lighter and tamer than the Old Ballantruan. It is bottled at 40% and is blended from a combination of peated and unpeated stock from Tomintoul. There is also a 15-Year-Old version of the Peaty Tang, but it has not reached our shores yet.

Let's give the Peaty Tang a go, shall we?

Tomintoul Peaty Tang - 40%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Pine needles, grapefruit husks and lime peels burning away in a backyard firepit while you eat a freshly made s'more that has gingerbread cookie instead of graham crackers to sandwich the marshmallow and chocolate together. A bit of London Fog to drink should wash it all down.

Palate: Key lime pie with a slightly burnt crust, milk stirred into oatmeal, unsweetened iced tea, and ginger ale with a tonic water chaser.

Finish: An interesting combination of sweet, smoky and dry all at the same time.

Comment: A single malt masquerading as a botanical gin? Hey Bartender! I'll take a Peaty Tang and Tonic, please! A bit drying on the finish but still a good introduction to peated whisky from this Speyside Distillery.

By George, that is tangy! I do with this was at 46 or 50% though. I am curious to see how this would mix with tonic now... That might be an experiment for tomorrow since it is nearly 11 PM as a write this and I still have another whisky to taste. Catch you all on the flip side!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2021

 

 

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