Tomintoul 1973 / 50 Year Old / Double Wood Matured / Second Edition Speyside Whisky

Camila Ortiz — Beautiful but a bit too gentle

7/10

Gorgeous colour and the nose is absolutely top shelf — raisins, beeswax, old oak library vibes. But I personally like a bit more punch and at 42.9% this felt quite delicate on the palate. I kept wanting it to grab me harder. That said, my wife tried it and said it was the smoothest whisky she's ever had, so maybe that gentleness is the whole point.

Thomas Weber — Beautiful but a bit too gentle

7/10

Gorgeous colour and the nose is absolutely top shelf — raisins, beeswax, old oak library vibes. But I personally like a bit more punch and at 42.9% this felt quite delicate on the palate. I kept wanting it to grab me harder. That said, my wife tried it and said it was the smoothest whisky she's ever had, so maybe that gentleness is the whole point.

Priscilla Nunes — Beautiful but a bit too gentle

7/10

Gorgeous colour and the nose is absolutely top shelf — raisins, beeswax, old oak library vibes. But I personally like a bit more punch and at 42.9% this felt quite delicate on the palate. I kept wanting it to grab me harder. That said, my wife tried it and said it was the smoothest whisky she's ever had, so maybe that gentleness is the whole point.

Annika Svensson — Worth every penny for a special occasion

9/10

I split a dram of this with three friends at a tasting event and we all just sat in silence for a minute. Fifty years in wood and it still has this incredible freshness — dried apricot, old leather, and a long honeyed finish. At 42.9% it's perfectly balanced without needing a drop of water.

Maxwell Green — Worth every penny for a special occasion

9/10

I split a dram of this with three friends at a tasting event and we all just sat in silence for a minute. Fifty years in wood and it still has this incredible freshness — dried apricot, old leather, and a long honeyed finish. At 42.9% it's perfectly balanced without needing a drop of water.

Wei Zhang — Worth every penny for a special occasion

9/10

I split a dram of this with three friends at a tasting event and we all just sat in silence for a minute. Fifty years in wood and it still has this incredible freshness — dried apricot, old leather, and a long honeyed finish. At 42.9% it's perfectly balanced without needing a drop of water.

Luna Chavez — The oak doesn't dominate

8/10

My biggest fear with ultra-aged whiskies is that they just taste like chewing a barrel stave. Not here. Fifty years and the spirit still shines through — there's a lovely citrus marmalade note alongside the expected dried fruit and spice. The 42.9% ABV feels right; it's gentle but not thin. Tried it neat at a friend's place and I'm still thinking about it.

Oscar Delgado — The oak doesn't dominate

8/10

My biggest fear with ultra-aged whiskies is that they just taste like chewing a barrel stave. Not here. Fifty years and the spirit still shines through — there's a lovely citrus marmalade note alongside the expected dried fruit and spice. The 42.9% ABV feels right; it's gentle but not thin. Tried it neat at a friend's place and I'm still thinking about it.

Grace Kim — The oak doesn't dominate

8/10

My biggest fear with ultra-aged whiskies is that they just taste like chewing a barrel stave. Not here. Fifty years and the spirit still shines through — there's a lovely citrus marmalade note alongside the expected dried fruit and spice. The 42.9% ABV feels right; it's gentle but not thin. Tried it neat at a friend's place and I'm still thinking about it.

Erik Strom — A time capsule in a glass

9/10

Got to try this at a whisky festival and it genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The double wood maturation gives it layers I kept finding for twenty minutes — vanilla, then dark chocolate, then this wisp of smoke that has no business being in a Speyside. Sipped it neat obviously. You don't put ice in something distilled the year my dad was born.

Benjamin Ross — A time capsule in a glass

9/10

Got to try this at a whisky festival and it genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The double wood maturation gives it layers I kept finding for twenty minutes — vanilla, then dark chocolate, then this wisp of smoke that has no business being in a Speyside. Sipped it neat obviously. You don't put ice in something distilled the year my dad was born.

Yasmine Najjar — A time capsule in a glass

9/10

Got to try this at a whisky festival and it genuinely stopped me in my tracks. The double wood maturation gives it layers I kept finding for twenty minutes — vanilla, then dark chocolate, then this wisp of smoke that has no business being in a Speyside. Sipped it neat obviously. You don't put ice in something distilled the year my dad was born.

Henrik Larsen — Magnificent whisky, brutal price

7/10

Let me be honest: this is a brilliant dram. Rich toffee and stewed plum on the nose, silky texture, long warm finish. But at nearly ten grand a bottle I have to ask whether it's genuinely five times better than a £2000 bottle. For me it isn't, but I understand what you're paying for with a 1973 vintage.

Zoe Chen — Magnificent whisky, brutal price

7/10

Let me be honest: this is a brilliant dram. Rich toffee and stewed plum on the nose, silky texture, long warm finish. But at nearly ten grand a bottle I have to ask whether it's genuinely five times better than a £2000 bottle. For me it isn't, but I understand what you're paying for with a 1973 vintage.

Marco Andretti — Magnificent whisky, brutal price

7/10

Let me be honest: this is a brilliant dram. Rich toffee and stewed plum on the nose, silky texture, long warm finish. But at nearly ten grand a bottle I have to ask whether it's genuinely five times better than a £2000 bottle. For me it isn't, but I understand what you're paying for with a 1973 vintage.

Mia Sundberg — Exceptional but not flawless

8/10

The nose is stunning — think antique furniture shop meets a dried fruit basket. On the palate there's gorgeous sherry-soaked oak and baking spice, but I found the finish tapers off a touch quicker than I expected for something this old. Still, a 50-year-old Speyside at natural colour is a rare treat.

Jason Steel — Exceptional but not flawless

8/10

The nose is stunning — think antique furniture shop meets a dried fruit basket. On the palate there's gorgeous sherry-soaked oak and baking spice, but I found the finish tapers off a touch quicker than I expected for something this old. Still, a 50-year-old Speyside at natural colour is a rare treat.

Alex Ramos — Exceptional but not flawless

8/10

The nose is stunning — think antique furniture shop meets a dried fruit basket. On the palate there's gorgeous sherry-soaked oak and baking spice, but I found the finish tapers off a touch quicker than I expected for something this old. Still, a 50-year-old Speyside at natural colour is a rare treat.

Sophia Laurent — Solid second edition

8/10

I preferred the first edition slightly — it had a bit more oomph on the mid-palate — but this is still a phenomenal pour. The double wood maturation brings a nice interplay between vanilla sweetness and darker dried fruit. At 42.9% it drinks easily, almost dangerously so given the price tag. A real collector's piece from Tomintoul.

Idris Ibrahim — Solid second edition

8/10

I preferred the first edition slightly — it had a bit more oomph on the mid-palate — but this is still a phenomenal pour. The double wood maturation brings a nice interplay between vanilla sweetness and darker dried fruit. At 42.9% it drinks easily, almost dangerously so given the price tag. A real collector's piece from Tomintoul.