Some bottles demand patience, and the Cù Bòcan Creation series tested mine more than most. I ordered Creation Number 3 and Number 4 roughly three years ago, swept up in the hype surrounding their release. When I first popped them open, I was underwhelmed to the point of near abandonment. So rather than trashing them outright, I let them sit, took the occasional baby pour, and waited for the day they might redeem themselves. That day has finally arrived, and the results are worth talking about.
For the uninitiated, Cù Bòcan is the peated expression from Tomatin, the same company and distillery behind the unpeated original. Plenty of distilleries play this game, from GlenAllachie with its Meikle Toir range to Springbank with Longrow.
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Creation Number 3 leans on Moroccan Cabernet Sauvignon and North American rye casks. On the nose, the peat is present alongside a much sweeter profile than I remembered, with berries, plums and figs. Curiously, I could not detect any of the rye influence at all, and being familiar with both Canadian and American rye, I would never have guessed it was there.
The palate carries a genuine smoke, followed by a licorice note that sits somewhere between strawberry and black licorice, with an almost tarry edge. It has improved dramatically, but it took far too long to get there.
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Creation Number 4, matured in tawny port and cognac casks, is the one that won me over. The tawny port now sings, delivering cooked-down fruit, plum jam, glazed cherry and spiced chocolate. There is honey and a touch of apricot on the nose, and less peat than its sibling, though a pleasant smokiness does creep onto the palate.
Neither has much viscosity, but both are approachable and would make excellent summer drams. There is something faintly Christmassy about Number 3 that I cannot quite embrace, whereas Number 4 simply feels more balanced and enjoyable.
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READ THE STORYHere is my final word. If I had scored these on opening day, both would have languished in the low 70s. Today, Creation Number 3 sits around 81 and Number 4 earns an 84. Enjoyable scores, but both fall shy of my 85 buy threshold.
At roughly $90, there is simply too much great whisky out there to justify a repeat purchase. If you own these and want a shortcut, decant them and pour them back into the bottle to accelerate the opening process. My hope now rests with the 12 and 15 year expressions, which I suspect may be the better drams. Have you given the Cù Bòcan Creation series enough time to open up?
To see my full side-by-side tasting of these two Cù Bòcan whiskies, check out my YouTube video.
