Budget Twelves!

Bunnahabhain 12 year
Region: Islay
Strength: 46.3% ABV
Color: Natural Color
Filtration: Non-chill Filtered
Maturation Casks: Bourbon & Sherry Casks
Price: $55

Tomatin 12 Year
Region: Highlands
Strength: 43% ABV
Color: Unknown Color (No official statement, though it looks to be either natural color or very lightly colored)
Filtration: Unknown Filtration
Maturation Casks: Bourbon & Sherry Casks
Price: $30

It always amazes me how a whisky one is very familiar with can take on a radically different character when tried side by side with another whisky. Bunnahabhain 12 year is a whisky that has provided many enjoyable moments through the years. Despite this, it took a side by side taste test to reveal a definite iodine note that I had never before noticed.

Nose
Bunnahabhain - a slight iodine smell, entirely unnoticed until now. Sherry and alcohol more pronounced than Tomatin. It is important to note that Bunnahabhain is one of the few un-peated malts to come from the legendary peat-heavy island of Islay.
Tomatin - very sweet, honey, cereal, and vanilla.
Winner - Tomatin, just a more inviting nose even if sweetness is not your thing.

Taste
Bunnahabhain - smooth, rich, pleasing. 3.3% percent more alcohol than Tomatin, but it's the Tomatin that has alcohol burn in the mouth. Slight sweetness at first transitions to a savory dryness.
Tomatin - Bright, sharp, too sharp in fact. It prickles and burns more than a twelve year old should. There is sweetness, but not as pronounced in the mouth as it is on the nose. Vanilla and some sweet fruit are there.
Winner - Bunnahabhain, I suspect the bottling strength of 46.3% is just about perfect. There is subtle sweetness, most likely from the bourbon casks, yet it's sherry that does the heavy lifting and it contributes a great savory taste.

Finish
Bunnahabhain - medium length, warm, tingling mouth feel. Very pleasing.
Tomatin - very short, almost non-existant, near-zero mouth feel.
Winner - Bunnahabhain. Not even a contest, it is remarkable how quickly Tomatin disappears once swallowed.

Overall, Bunnahabhain takes this head-to-head, though Tomatin is no slouch. Considering Tomatin costs $25 less, being remarkably priced at $30 in in this world of haute single malts, it is worth a look, though with an asterisk. Tomatin is what Matic and I like to call a 'Tuesday whisky' - something affordable, readily available, easy to enjoy, but not toe-curling. If you happen to be of the mindset that life is too short for an okay whisky, best to look elsewhere.

Bunnahabhain on the other hand shows that extra $25 is invested in better maturation, smoother taste, and an overall more enjoyable experience.