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.
1/Billy's on the fire, two bottles in the camp box. Old mate wanders over, swirls his glass. 'Pleasantly sweet, this. Good malt under it, a bit of summer fruit, dead easy to drink. What is it?' Tomatin 12, I tell him. $90 for members at Dan Murphy's. Twelve years old, 43%.
2/'You on the same?' he asks, nodding at my glass. Not quite. Deanston 12. Orange marmalade, shortbread dipped in honey, a little ginger and vanilla, peppery oak on the finish. 'Keeping the good stuff for yerself, eh.' Fair enough. That one's $112 this week.
3/Here's the thing, I say. Tomatin 12 gives a Deanston 12 drinker about 97% of what the Deanston 12 does, for 80% of its price. What you give up is mostly some strength. So Deanston 12 stays the one for its fans, and Tomatin 12 is the one for every other night.
Which is the cheaper drink? Not the cheaper bottle. Glencadam 10 costs $3 more a bottle than Aberfeldy 12. But at 46% against 40%, Glencadam is the cheaper drink: $4.21 a standard drink against $4.71. Per standard drink this week, side by side: Tomatin 12 at $3.79. Glengoyne 10 at $3.98. The Deveron 12 at $4.12. Then Glencadam, then Aberfeldy. A pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink. Every bottle here sits under it. Chasing the low bottle? Tomatin. Want the real saving per pour? Glencadam over Aberfeldy. A yes either way.
Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Tomatin 12 what they'd pay for it, each starting from their own, and the answers run from $84 to $133. At $90 for members it settles comfortably inside that range, and this week's piece walks through where it lands.
Tomatin 12 is $3.79 a standard drink, a gentle pour at home. A pint at the pub runs nearer $6.28. By the pour that's 129th of 310 at Dan Murphy's. Clean, sweet, uncomplicated — worth a pour if you like it easy. More in this week's piece on Tomatin 12.
Tomatin 12 is $90 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $90, so no surprises either way. Pleasantly sweet, bright summer fruit, uncomplicated. The full read on it is in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 opens with orange marmalade and salted caramel, honeyed shortbread on the nose, milk chocolate and a little peppery oak to close. Soft all the way. $97 for members at Dan's this week. Pour one and see where it settles. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Dalwhinnie 15 is made for you. It hands a Deanston 12 drinker about 95% of what you already love, for 98% of the price, at $95. Pour it slow: caramelised fruits, a touch of cream, a light note of fennel. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
I lined up the bottles nearest Deanston 12 and asked their drinkers what they'd pay for it. The answers ran $83 to $129. At $97 for members, it sits comfortably inside that spread. Where exactly, and what it means for you, is in this week's piece.
A pour of Deanston 12 at home comes to $3.79 a standard drink. A pint at the pub sits nearer $6.28 for the same measure, and there are about 26 pours in the bottle. More on how it tastes and who it suits in this week's piece. Which way does your week lean?
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week; it usually sells around $104. Marmalade and honeyed shortbread on the nose, salted caramel and milk chocolate on the palate, a peppery oak finish. One for the sweet-and-spice drinker — more on it in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives a Deanston 12 drinker about 93% of what it does, for 92% of the price, at $89 for members. Fragrant once it opens up, cherry and apple over a clean malt. One to try if that's your corner. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 noses of orange marmalade and shortbread dipped in honey, then turns soft and sweet on the palate: salted caramel, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, fudge, into a peppery oak finish. $97 for members this week; it usually sells around $112. More in this week's piece.
If Deanston 12 is your usual, Dalwhinnie 15 sits close by at $95, giving a Deanston 12 drinker about 94% of what the Deanston does for 98% of the price, all caramelised fruits, soft cream and a light touch of fennel. More on it in this week's piece on Deanston 12.
Ask the drinkers of Deanston 12's nearest bottles what it's worth, each starting from what they pay for their own, and you get a spread: $83 to $138. At $97 for members it lands comfortably inside. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 lands at $97 for members, about 26 standard drinks, so roughly $3.79 a pour at home — a pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink. Orange marmalade, honeyed shortbread in the glass. More on it in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $112, and we've seen it between $97 and $112. Orange marmalade, salted caramel, a little peppery oak on the way out. Pour one and see what you make of it. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives that drinker about 93% of what the Deanston 12 does, for 92% of its price, at $89 for members. Clean malt, and a splash of water brings it out fragrant: cherry, apple, a touch of almond. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Same money, this week. Glencadam 10 and Dalwhinnie 15: $0 between them a bottle. But 46% against 43% tips it — the Glencadam is the cheaper drink, $3.74 a standard drink against $4.00. Per standard drink: Glencadam 10, $95 — $3.74 Deanston 12, $97 — $3.79 Dalwhinnie 15, $95 — $4.00 Tomatin 12, $98 — $4.13 Glencadam 15, $140 — $5.51 A pint at the pub is about $6.28 a drink. All five sit under it, poured at home. The Dalwhinnie's still there for that honeyed, chunky middle: caramelised fruit, a little cream, a nightcap you sip slow.
A dram after dinner on a quiet night in, and the Aberfeldy 12 came up floral and bright, tropical fruit, honey and vanilla, gentle and faintly syrupy over the malt before an orange marmalade finish, lightly spiced. $104 at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
Both lean soft and sweet, with honey and ripe fruit. Love Aberfeldy 12? I'd look at The Deveron 12: it gives an Aberfeldy 12 drinker about 98% of what that one does, for 87% of the price, $90 this week. Tempted? I get into Aberfeldy 12 in this week's piece.
Put Aberfeldy 12 to the drinkers of its nearest bottles, each starting from what they pay for their own, and they'd give it $69 to $99; it goes for $104 this week. More on Aberfeldy 12 in this week's piece.
Aberfeldy 12 is $104. With about 22 standard drinks in the bottle, that's $4.71 a pour at home, against roughly $6.28 a standard drink for a pint at the pub. Where does that leave you this week? More on Aberfeldy 12 in this week's piece.
Aberfeldy 12 is sitting at $104 at Dan Murphy's this week, which is right where it usually sells, so read it as a steady marker rather than a number on the move. Where it lands among its neighbours is in this week's piece on Aberfeldy 12.
If Aberfeldy 12 is your pour, Tomatin 12 is worth a try: pleasantly sweet, a good malt foundation carrying bright summer fruit, clean right through. At $98 it gives an Aberfeldy 12 drinker about 96% of what that bottle does, for 94% of its price. More in this week's piece.
Like Aberfeldy 12? Glengoyne 10 gives you about 95% of what it does, for 95% of the price, at $99. Oak, a hint of sherry, cooking apples slowly drying to vanilla. Fancy that swap this week? The full piece on Aberfeldy 12 has more.
Tomatin 12. Pleasantly sweet, a clean malt base under a rush of bright summer fruit. Straightforward, uncomplicated. $98 this week; it usually sells around $90. More on it in this week's piece.
I keep noticing how often The Deveron 12 comes up when you tell me you love Tomatin 12. At $90, it gives a Tomatin 12 drinker about 98% of what that dram does, for 92% of the price. Soft and sweet, ripe peaches with a little ginger. More on Tomatin 12 in this week's piece.
Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Tomatin 12 what they'd pay for it, each starting from what their own bottle costs, and the answers land between $77 and $109. At $98 it sits inside that range. More on where it falls in this week's piece.
What does a Tomatin 12 actually cost you by the glass? Pour one at home and it's $4.13 a standard drink. A pint at the pub sits around $6.28 a standard drink. Sweet, a good malt base, plenty of bright summer fruit. More on Tomatin 12 in this week's piece.
Tomatin 12 is $98 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $90. A small nudge above the usual, nothing to read into. We walk through it properly in this week's piece on the Tomatin 12.
Glass empty on the bench, so I reach past the Tomatin 12 for the Dalwhinnie 15, which usually sells around $95. For a Tomatin 12 drinker it's roughly 97% of the dram for 97% of the price: caramelised fruit, a little cream, a touch of fennel. More in this week's piece.
| bottle | region | latest ticket | read | window price | CE 360° mean | premium | shelf rank | per std drink | drink rank | content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatin 12YO Single Malt Whisky | Highlands | $97.99 | observed | $97.99 | $92.15 | 6.0% | #5 of 38 | $3.79 | #6 of 36 | 54 |