Tomatin Cu Bocan Creation #5 - Colombian Oak

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 46% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Tomatin Cù Bòcan Creation #5 pairs lightly peated Highland malt with an unusual finish in Colombian Andean oak. Distilled in December 2011, the whisky initially matured in American oak refill hogsheads. It was transferred to Andean-Oak casks in June 2021; the finish ended after a little over one additional year. This limited edition comprises 8,400 bottles worldwide. It was bottled at 46%, without chill filtration or added colouring.

The Andean oak contributes floral and exotic fruit notes of orange blossom, rose, mango, papaya and passion fruit, giving the palate a rounded, soft and sweet character. Camphor, exotic floral and herbal notes, and lightly charred oak add to the aromatic range. Together with the subtle smoke, they also yield toasted clove, smoky nutmeg and tarry notes.

The wood for these rare casks comes from the Colombian Cordillera. There, Andean oak grows at altitudes between 3,500 and 4,000 metres in a cold tropical climate with high humidity. Tomatin describes the sourcing of wood from these mountain forests as sustainable. Obtaining the Colombian Andean-Oak casks for this edition required considerable effort.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is fresh, spicy and resinous, with pronounced herbal notes. Ylang-ylang, carnation flowers and eucalyptus shape the aroma before sweeter hints of white chocolate pralines and lemon cake develop.
• Palate: On the palate, the sweet notes mingle more closely with smoke and spice: banana split with campfire smoke, crunchy toffee and clove-spiced vanilla define the flavour. The herbal notes recede gently into the background.
• Finish: The finish is warming, gently phenolic and spicy.

Distillery/Bottler:

Tomatin Distillery makes Cù Bòcan from lightly peated Scottish barley, distilling this whisky only in winter and in limited batches. Subtle smoke forms the shared foundation of the brand, while the Creation range explores different maturation influences through unusual cask types. Creation #2 used Japanese Shochu casks as early as 2019. Creation #5, by contrast, focuses on the origin of the Colombian Andean oak and its pronounced influence during a comparatively short finish.

Facts: