Tomatin Cuatro (4 Sherry Finishes)

Tomatin have recently released their Cuatro range whereby whisky that has been aged for nine years in Bourbon casks was then split and aged for a further three years in four different types of sherry casks - Fino, Manzanilla, Pedro Ximanez and Oloroso. An interesting experiment.

So this review is slightly different - rather than analyze each individual one I thought it might be interesting to try and just note how they compare relative to each other. It could end up being a meaningless review but I thought why not just try it.

I have poured small samples of all four and will be drinking them simultaneously and noting my observed differences

Colourwise - not actually much to choose between them. Oloroso and PX are slightly darker than the other two.

Nosing - They all have the classic soft and gentle style that Tomatin is known for with noticeable vanilla as the baseline. And of course fruit edges that all decent sherry finishes provide. Fino seems to be more towards the red berry side whereas the PX is more dark fruits. Oloroso seems more pudding fruits with marzipan whereas Manzanilla seems to have the least fruity edge to it - the vanilla remains more prominent here.

In terms of sweetness though, Manzanilla is at the top with some notes of burnt sugar . Next sweet is Oloroso, surprisingly beating PX which doesn't seem to be opening up as much as the other three. Fino is the sharpest of them all, with some noticeable acidity relative to the other three.

Palate - Fino sharp and fruity, Manzanilla is softer, oakier with slightly more bitterness, (in stark contrast the nose). PX is probably the most subtle of the four, (raspberries and blackcurrants noted here) and probably should have been tried before the Fino. Oloroso has a palate akin to raspberry ice-cream - it's actually quite similar to Manzanilla but with more noticeable fruits.

2nd go - tried PX first this time and now it's subtler black fruit flavours are more noticeable. And I'm sure I can detect a slight smokiness on the Fino but not on any of the others - it definitely seems slightly drier than the others. Oloroso has definitely opened upon more and become smoother with its marzipan notes returning. Manzanilla though is still the sweetest.

Cannot really compare the finishes when sampling like this - overall though it is drier than I'd have expected with fruit flavours lingering on the tongue for some considerable time.

Overall, if you want a more in-your-face punchy whisky I'd say the Fino. For sweet-toothed whisky drinkers, the Manzanilla. Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez where overall the more subtler of the four. PX was a bit disappointing when tasted like this but it probably needs to be sampled on its own with a clean palate to fully appreciate its subtleties, (which is quite surprising as I expected this to be the one that dominated in flavour profile).

The score is an average - don't read too much into it.

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