Tomatin 12 reads one way on paper and another in the glass. By the critics' ratings, it lands in the bottom 0% of the whiskies at Dan Murphy's. By how broadly drinkers like it, it lands in the bottom 42%. Same bottle, two readings. The scorers put it low. The people drinking it sit it higher. That gap is the whole story here.
So let the glass speak. Tomatin 12 is a Highland single malt, pleasantly sweet, built on a solid malt foundation. There's a lot of bright summer fruit running through it. Clean and straightforward. Nothing fussy, nothing to decode. An easy pour that knows what it is.
Now the price. Tomatin 12 is $90 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $90, and we've seen it between $90 and $98. The bottle holds about 24 standard drinks, which works out near $3.79 a pour. A pint at the pub runs about $13, roughly two standard drinks, so about $6.28 a drink. A glass of the Tomatin at home sits well under that.
Here's a different way to weigh it. Ask the drinkers of the bottles closest to Tomatin 12 what it would be worth to them, each starting from what they already pay for their own, and the answers run from $84 to $133. At $90 for members, it sits inside what those drinkers would pay. Every one of them who shares its flavours puts it at nine-tenths or more of their own bottle. Priced for members, Tomatin 12 lands comfortably within that spread.
If you want a change, three bottles sit close. The Deveron 12, around $91, leads with vanilla, ginger, ripe peaches and apple blossom, then medium-bodied spice and a touch of butterscotch; for a Tomatin 12 drinker it gives about 98% of what the Tomatin does, at 101% of the price. Aberfeldy 12, around $104, leans fresh and floral with tropical fruit, honey, vanilla and an orange marmalade finish; about 96% of the Tomatin for a Tomatin drinker, at 116% of the price. Dalwhinnie 15, around $95, goes deeper and softer, into caramelised fruits, thick cream, a light fennel note and sharp citrus; about 97%, at 105% of the price, and we've seen it swing from $95 up to $129. Three near neighbours, three small steps sideways.
So who's it for. If Tomatin 12 is already your bottle, $90 for members is the price this week, and nothing above asks you to move. If you want sweeter and rounder, with a little spice, the Deveron 12 is near enough at $91. If you lean floral and tropical, Aberfeldy 12 at $104 is your turn. If you want weight through the middle of the glass, Dalwhinnie 15 at $95 brings it. And if you just want a clean, fruit-forward malt you can pour without a second thought, Tomatin 12 was built for that. Every one of them will do the job. The critics may have filed this one low, but the glass makes a steadier case.
None recorded.
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