Compared with the 2024 edition, this release returned the tall bottle and blended a higher sherry cask ratio; last year’s mix (Bourbon 70% / Sherry 20% / Rum 10%) was replaced with a simpler but bolder ratio of Bourbon 60% / Sherry 40%. The stronger sherry cask influence shows clearly in the glass, giving this 16-year-old a deeper, more elegant profile.

In my impression, younger Tomatin has always been quite good — with sugarcane-like sweetness and a light powdery note that seems to be their house style. For me, younger Tomatin has always left a pleasant impression: that sugarcane juice sweetness and soft cosmetic powder aroma, a combination that is hard not to love.

I’ve had this bottle for around 3 years. Over time, I’ve enjoyed it in every possible way – on hot summer days, on cold winter nights, with soda, with cola, alongside ice cream, in coffee, even use it for cook. It’s a whisky I’ve always felt comfortable with, casual and familiar. and I will say: it's good, but not remarkable.

But last night… well, something changed.