Time for some new (aged) Cù Bòcan from Tomatin : for those who are not familiar with the Cu Bocan line of products : The Cù Bòcan brand is named after a mythical Highland hell-hound which was rumored to haunt the village of Tomatin and was launched in 2013 as a lightly peated alternative to the traditional fruity flavors of Tomatin single malt. The distillery has been producing peated malt for the last week of every year since 2005, and in recent years has been experimenting with different levels of peatiness (PPM) in order to diversity their offering in the coming years.
The special 1990 vintage release was distilled on 17 October 1990 and has been matured in peated Islay ex-Bourbon barrels. In their past lives, the casks were home to one of Islay’s peatiest potions and hints of the untamed spirit have been working their smoky magic over the years. Only 1,400 bottles of this rare whisky are available worldwide.
This latest release follows previous limited editions including the 2006 vintage in 2017, the 1988 and 2005 vintages in 2016, the Virgin Oak, Sherry and Bourbon expressions in 2015 and the 1989 vintage in 2014.
An older un-peated tomatin in an ex-peated cask? sounds lovely ,doesn’t it?
Cù Bòcan 1990 vintage limited edition , 52.9% , £230
Nose: Very gentle smoke, with a nice exotic fruit backbone, Lychee, kiwi and coconut, maybe green banana and lime zest, wee vanilla and old wood chairs.
Palate: A very nice melange of sweet orchard fruit, apples, pears and apricots, some ripe oranges, all with a touch of salt, wee smoke, and a pinch of pepper and Peat, wet hay,and salted caramel. Earthy at times.
Finish: Medium with earthy Peat, smoke and charred wood, salt and wood spices.
Conclusion:
Very good stuff, well aged, with the lovely smoke working quite well with the fruit and wood / earthy notes. A bit expensive, but highly enjoyable stuff.
Score: 88/100
Availble at MoM