Cu Bocan Signature

1. What they say

Thanks to our lightly peated barley, every Cù Bòcan holds our signature wisp of smoke. That’s why each edition is an exploration in the subtleties of smoke, the characters of the casks and the mastery of maturation.
In the whisky that made our name, light smoke intertwines with rich citrus and exotic spices. Subtly smoky, surprisingly sweet, it opens up the world of lightly peated whisky.

2. Official tasting notes

CASK	CHARACTER
Bourbon	Smooth + Sweet: Honey, Coconut and Milk Chocolate
Oloroso Sherry	Rich + Fruity: Treacle, Coffee and Paprika
North American Virgin Oak	Clean + Zingy: Citrus, Pecan Pie and Cinnamon

3. Details

ABV 46%
Age NAS
Bottler OB
Bottling Signature
Cask Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry + North American Virgin Oak Casks
Category Single malt scotch whisky
Cost £37.90
Origin Tomatin Distillery
Outturn n/a
Region Highland
Released 2019
Vintage Undeclared

4. What I say

Cu Bocan’s Signature expression is the standard or entry-level expression to Tomatin distillery’s Cu Bocan range. Re-branded in 2019 the range has moved away from the Smoky Mythical Beast for a more modern or contemporary design. What’s inside the bottle remains remarkably similar, Lightly peated (15ppm phenol) spirit batch produced during the winter period at Tomatin and matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon, ex-sherry and virgin oak casks, reputedly around 8 years old or less. This was sampled during the recent Cu Bocan tweet tasting hosted by Steve @TheWhiskyWire and Cu Bocan to celebrate the addition of a couple of new Creations to their Cu Bocan range. Before we tuck into the unusual cask matured combinations of the Creations let’s adjust out palate to Cu Bocan Signature flavours and aromas.

5. The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Colour: Amber gold (9/20), oily, medium-fine tears and slow, medium legs.
Nose: Gentle smoke, sweet, vanillic, baked apples and pears, soft cereals, biscuity, some coconut and almonds too.
Taste: Medium-light bodied, soft, vanillic, fruity apple pie and pear tart then some sharpness, citric lemon and tangerine, peat smoke hints, heather honey, soft/powdered baking spices, pecan and maple lattice.
Finish: Medium, soft, honey, vanilla and gentle peat smoke.

6. Overall

A soft and accessible as befitting a peated Tomatin. A touch woody in places from the Virgin Oak casks perhaps but well constructed with an array of flavours complimenting this soft Highland Malt with a smoky edge.

The Whiskyphiles

Cu Bocan Signature