A mate reaches past the everyday bottles and pulls down the Tomintoul 25. It's the oldest of the distillery's Gentle Drams, the one he keeps for a slow hour. He pours two, and while the glass opens up he asks the question everyone asks sooner or later: is there anything that does this for less?
There is, and it comes from the same still. Tomintoul 21, at $369, gives a Tomintoul 25 drinker about 92% of what the 25 does. Same house, four fewer years, roughly half the money. That's the spine of the whole thing, so start there.
First, what's in the glass. The Tomintoul 25 noses peaches and malt, honey and vanilla, with floral notes that come up as it sits. It's full-bodied in the mouth: ripe apples, cocoa, milky coffee, more honey and vanilla, soft spices underneath. The finish runs fairly long and mellow, turning spicy and drying, with plain chocolate at the end. A classic Speyside, and an unhurried one.
1/What should we expect to pay for a Tomintoul 25, and how do its nearest bottles sit beside it? That's what this guide is for. We've put Tomintoul's oldest Gentle Dram alongside the three single malts closest to it, and set out what each usually sells around, the range we've seen, and what a standard drink costs this week.
2/Here's the guide. Tomintoul 25 at the top, then the three nearest, with the usual price, the range, this week's price and the cost of a standard drink this week.
3/So how does this week read against the guide? Quietly. All four sit at their everyday price — Tomintoul 25 at $733, Tomintoul 21 at $369, Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 at $559, Tomintoul 16 at $181 — so there's no special on and nothing out of character. The low ends of a few ranges were Father's Day prices: Tomintoul 21 at $340, Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 at $478, Tomintoul 16 at $132.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed | 732.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 732.99 | 732.99 | 0.00 | 732.99 | 732.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 732.99 | 100 |
| member | 732.99 | 732.99 | 0.00 | 732.99 | 732.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 732.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 732.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 733.0 – 733.0 |
Bottle open on the bench, a cold night. Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23: apricots in syrup and apple blossom on the nose, then pears, vanilla and warm white bread, a finish of toffee and coffee. $511 this week; it usually sells around $559. More in this week's piece.
Like Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23? For a drinker of it, Glen Moray 21 gives about 75% of what that bottle does, for 59% of the price, at $304 for members this week. Subtle oolong, ripe red fruits and Tawny Port, honey and oak over a creamy palate. Pour one; more in this week's piece.
Small one from this week's piece on Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23: hand it to a Glen Moray 15 drinker and they'd gladly pay 72% of what their own bottle costs just to have it instead, which is about the nearest answer going. The rest of it's waiting for you in the article.
I ran the numbers on a single pour: Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 comes to $23.13 a standard drink, about 22 in the $511 bottle, which sits it 300th of 310 at Dan Murphy's that way. A pint runs $6.28 a drink, so a pour at home is well over that. More in this week's piece.
Curious what Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is doing this week? It's $511 at Dan Murphy's. It usually sells around $559, so this week sits a touch under. A guide, not a rush. More on it in this week's piece. Pour one and see where it lands for you.
Like Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23? Tomintoul 21 gives you about 77% of it, for 67% of the price. This week it's $340 for members. Floral fruits, sweet barley, a long almond-and-vanilla finish. Pour one yourself. The full piece on Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is up this week.
Poured a Tomintoul 21 late. Sweet floral fruit first, then a quiet spice. Barley, boiled sweeties, a whisper of aniseed. Smooth, long finish of almond and vanilla. $340 for members at Dan Murphy's this week; it usually sells around $369. More in this week's piece.
Like Tomintoul 21? Tomintoul 16 gives a Tomintoul 21 drinker about 89% of the pour, for 39% of the price. Fragrant, firm, gum drops and a soft spice finish you'd happily sit with. $132 for members. More on Tomintoul 21 in this week's piece.
Hand a Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 drinker the Tomintoul 21 and they'd pay 83% of what their own bottle costs. Sweet barley, aniseed, a long almondy finish. Worth pouring one yourself — the rest is in this week's piece.
At the bench after dinner, I did the sums on the Tomintoul 21: $15.39 a standard drink, about 22 in the bottle. A pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a drink, so a pour at home sits well above it. 293rd of 310 at Dan Murphy's per standard drink. More in this week's piece.
What draws me to the Tomintoul 21 is how gently it carries its age, right down to that long, almondy vanilla close. This week it's $340 for members at Dan Murphy's, and it usually sells around $369, so take that as a guide, not an alarm. The full read is in this week's piece.
Ever had a dram that turns from floral to spice mid-sip? Tomintoul 21 opens on sweet barley and old-fashioned boiled sweeties, with a thread of aniseed, then runs long on almond and vanilla. At $369, it's the bottle behind this week's piece. Smooth the whole way down.
Like Tomintoul 21? For a Tomintoul 21 drinker, Tomintoul 16 at $181 gives you about 89% of the same gentle, gum-drop charm for 49% of the price, all fragrant malt and soft anise. Might that be the pour for your Tuesday? More on Tomintoul 21 in this week's piece.
Give a Tomintoul 16 drinker the Tomintoul 21 and they'd pay around 89% of what their own bottle runs them — near enough the same. That's the nearest neighbour's read on it. If a gentle Speyside is your thing, it's one to pour. Full story on the Tomintoul 21 in this week's piece.
Friday night, nothing on, and you pour one for yourself: a Tomintoul 21 works out to about $16.70 a standard drink poured at home, across roughly 22 in the bottle, which suits the drinker who likes to sit with one for a while. More on it in this week's piece.
Tomintoul 21 is $369 at Dan Murphy's this week, right about where it usually sells, around $369, with the lowest we've seen at $340. Pour one and it opens sweet and floral before the spice settles in, finishing long and almondy. The full read is in this week's piece.
I nosed the Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 and found apricots in syrup, toasted marshmallows and apple blossom, then pears, vanilla, freshly sawn timber and cloves, with toffee lingering. The sawn timber stayed with me. At $559. More in this week's piece on it.
Here's the odd one: The Glenlivet 18, $200, covers about 73% of what a Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 drinker gets from their own bottle, for 36% of the price. Flowers, tinned pineapple, windfall apples. More on the Grand Cru in this week's piece.
Hand a The Glenlivet 18 drinker the Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 and they'd set it at 68% of what their own bottle costs them, the nearest of the neighbours' answers. The rest is in this week's piece.
At $25.30 a standard drink, Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is a slow pour at home: honey, pears, then a toffee and coffee finish to sit with. One for the drinker who likes to take their time with a glass. There's more on it in this week's piece. Who's it for at your place?
First thing I noticed: Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 is $559 this week. That's about where it usually sells, around $559. We've seen it as low as $478. Sitting at the top end just now. Pour one if it's your style. More on it in this week's piece.
Like Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23? Glen Moray 21 gives its drinker about 73% of what that bottle does, for 61% of the price, at $343. Oolong and ripe red fruits, a wisp of Tawny Port, baking spice. Pour one and see. More on Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 in this week's piece.
Half the price, and a Tomintoul 25 drinker still gets about 92% of what they love: that's a Tomintoul 21 at $369, 50% of the 25's. Sweet floral fruits giving way to spice, then a long almond-and-vanilla finish. More on the 25 in this week's piece.
Hand a Glen Moray 21 drinker the Tomintoul 25 and they'd put about $224 on it, roughly 65% of what their own bottle costs them. That's the nearest neighbour, starting from what they pay. Who's it for? Anyone after a gentle, honeyed Speyside. More in this week's piece.
Tomintoul 25 lands at $733, and with about 24 standard drinks in the bottle that works out to $30.86 a pour at home, which suits the drinker who likes a slow one after dinner. The sums, and who else it sits near, are in this week's piece.
I keep coming back to the Tomintoul 25 for its peaches-and-honey nose and that milky-coffee warmth. It's $733 at Dan Murphy's this week, right where it usually sells, around $733. A quiet after-dinner pour if you fancy one. More on it in this week's piece.
Like Tomintoul 25? A Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 at $559 gives a Tomintoul 25 drinker about 73% of what Tomintoul 25 does, for 76% of the price, all apricots in syrup and toasted marshmallows. The full story's in this week's piece.
At 25% of the Tomintoul 25 price, Tomintoul 16 — $181 — still gives a Tomintoul 25 drinker about 72% of what the 25 does: fragrant and firm, with fruit gum drops, caramel and a soft wood-spice finish. More on the Tomintoul 25 in this week's piece.
Love your Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 and wondering what sits closest to it? Meet Tomintoul 25, the nearest twin at Dan Murphy's. It gives a Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 drinker about 76% of what their bottle does, and costs $222 more.
A price guide for Tomintoul 21 and the two single malts closest to it. For each one we note what it usually sells around, the range we have seen, and what a single pour costs this week. Tomintoul 21 usually sells around $369. This week it is $340 for members, the bottom of the range we have seen.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craigellachie 23 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $799.99 | $696.63 | +103.36 |
| 2 | Tomintoul 21 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $368.99 | $683.87 | -314.88 |
| 3 | The Balvenie The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $452.99 | $644.71 | -191.72 |
| 4 | The Balvenie Stories 21YO 'The Second Red Rose' Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $726.99 | $633.68 | +93.31 |
| 5 | Craigellachie 19YO Single Malt Whisky 700ml | $375.99 | $627.88 | -251.89 |
| 6 | Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $298.95 | $600.28 | -301.33 |
| 7 | Glenfiddich Grand Cru 23 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $558.99 | $595.23 | -36.24 |
| 8 | The Macallan Double Cask 18 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $635.99 | $561.78 | +74.21 |
| 9 | Tomintoul 16 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $180.99 | $550.40 | -369.41 |
| 10 | Glen Moray 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $342.99 | $549.57 | -206.58 |