Review #815 - SMWS 11.61 'Will Spark a Conversation' - Tomatin 9 Year
In April of 2026, we had the opportunity to attend the monthly outturn tasting for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's USA chapter in Indianapolis, Indiana. These sessions generally consist of the blind tasting of 6 different whiskies which will be released in the given month, and the bottles are revealed after discussion of tasting notes and distillery guesses have been made. This April 2026 tasting had a sherry cask theme - all of the whiskies involved were either matured or finished in Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez sherry. This is 1 of 6 reviews from this month's outturn.
This Tomatin single malt, originating in the Highlands, falls into the Society's 'Spicy & Sweet' flavor profile. Tomatin produces both peated whiskies, which they brand as Cu Bocan, and unpeated whiskies like this example. This was fully matured in a first fill PX sherry cask for 9 years; after that time, it was bottled at a cask strength of 60.1% ABV.
SMWS 11.61 'Will Spark a Conversation' - Tomatin 9 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 115 (2025)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 60.1% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill Pedro Ximenez sherry butt
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled September 18, 2015; 598 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed blind 1 time. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Nectarine and white grapes, but that sweetness is offset by dry oak and a touch of sulphur. It's light and bright, and we get accents of hay, malty grain, and some vanilla.
Palate: Very malty, and there are strong spices in the palate: wood spice, star anise. There's still a mild sweetness, most of which comes from stone fruit flavors.
Finish: Graham crackers, hay, malt, and cinnamon spice... quite warm, and we get a bit of tropical fruit like mango. Overall, it has a nice mixture of sweet and spicy notes lingering.
Final Note: It really surprised us to find out this was fully matured in a PX cask - this was so light and bright on the nose, and the palate and finish followed with strong baking spice notes, but not a lot of dark fruit in our experience. It is still a good whisky with solid spirit character and a milder sherry influence, and the malty backbone is a nice treat.
Value here is okay, about average; it isn't always easy to find Tomatin here in the States, so we like that this gave us the opportunity to try more, especially with great natural presentation.
Our Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.17
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Tomatin reviews:
