Colour: Bright gold.
Nose: Soft and gentle on the nose with lingering toffee and plenty of vanilla. Traces of floral notes emerge with a slightly perfume-like touch. There's a hint of coconut and salty butter, complemented by sweet vanilla cream and a touch of oak spice, cinnamon and cardamon. Very delicate and satisfying.
Palate: A voluminous start on the palate. Luscious oranges come through with delicate toffee and lots of lingering and creamy vanilla. This is followed by a bit of grip form the oak, cinnamon and a whiff of smoke. Delicious and well-balanced!
Finish: A medium long, fruity and warm finish. Deliciously sweet oranges and sticky blossom honey stay on the tongue for quite a while, complemented by a touch of burnt oak and smoke on the tail.
With water: There's more vanilla cream and toffee on the nose while the other flavours do not change significantly. Besides luscious oranges and soft vanilla, the spiciness increases with oak, cinnamon and black pepper on the palate. Very warm indeed. The finish is a bit longer and warming, with some prickling oak spice and sticky sweet oranges of the tongue. Very pleasant.
Comments: Very delicate, and definitely Speyside. An elegant dram with a pleasant mouthfeel. Very well-balanced and an excellent example of perfect integration. This Tomintoul holds up very well for a whisky almost a half of a century old. Murray McDavid is back!

I thank the German importer Whiskymax for sample and photograph!

Colour: Old gold.
Nose: The nose starts off with a brilliant potpourri of tropical ripe fruit, pineapples, melons, gooseberries, strawberries, and yellow apples. With time, flowery notes and subtle orange blossom honey come through with a hint of spice and cinnamon. A gorgeous nose!
Palate: A very smooth, even velvety start on the palate with luscious orange, red gooseberry and yellow apples. First sweet, then turns into a slightly sour but pleasant mouthfeel. This is complemented by prickling oak spice and gentle herbal notes. Nice and delicate.
Finish: A long and warm finish. The fruity sweetness is displaced more and more by a bitter dryness of oak spice and herbal notes (like a cold and strong black tea).
With water: Besides the tropical fruit, spice is becoming more apparent on the nose and palate. A sweet creaminess with a long and well-balanced fruity/spicy finish.
Comments: This is a brilliant whisky. Full of tropical fruit and after 46 years (!) in an oak cask, of course, there is a bitter herbal and oak spiciness, but not overpowering. This dram is still well-balanced, but you should pay your full attention to this while you savour!