Tomatin Distillery
Tomatin, Inverness-shire
History: The Tomatin Spey District Distillery Ltd was opened in 1897, at the peak of the Victorian whisky boom, by three men – John MacDougall, John MacLeish and Alexander Allan, backed by a handful of investors. The location was perfect: next to a newly opened rail line and close to a market in Inverness. The nearby Alt na Frith (meaning “free burn”), meanwhile, was the perfect source for soft, Highland water.
The whisky: Some readers may not have heard of this single malt but whisky experts tend to agree that this distillery produces some outstanding products. They have a large core range, from a 12-year-old to a 36-year-old, as well as some incredible, limited-edition releases. The style is a mellow and fruity single malt with bags of flavour.
Favourite dram: There’s a peated bottling called Cù Bòcan, which is lovely if you are into your smoke. If not and you want something a bit special then go the 18-year-old, which has been finished in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts. It’s priced around £75 and worth every drop.
Geek fact: Tomatin is one of the biggest producers of single malt. In 1956, the number of stills was expanded from two to four – and then two more were added in 1958. In 1961, a further four stills were added, bringing the total to 10. When one more was added in 1964, it made Tomatin (temporarily at least) one of only a few Scotch whisky distilleries with an uneven number of stills. By 1974 there were 23 stills operating there and at the time, Tomatin was Scotland’s largest distillery, annually producing 12 million litres of alcohol. When the market collapsed in the 1980s, the distillery went into liquidation. Since 1998 the distillery has been owned by the Japan-based Takara Shuzo Co and remains one of the biggest producers of single malt with most going into blended whiskies.
Why visit? Tomatin is located between Inverness and Aviemore just off the A9 so is perfect for a pop-in on your travels. They offer three excellent tours. On the 1.5-hour Legacy Tour (£8 for adults and £4 for under-18s), visitors can explore the distillery and learn how this award-winning whisky is produced, before tasting three of Tomatin's single malts. The two-hour Taste of Tomatin Tour (£20 for over-18s) offers a distillery tour followed by a tutored nosing and tasting of six different whiskies. The 2.5-hour Single Cask Experience tour (over-18s only: £35), promises an in-depth distillery and warehouse tour concluding with a tutored nosing and tasting of five different distillery-exclusive single cask expressions. I would advise booking in advance to guarantee your place on a tour.
Interesting fact: The name itself gives an insight into the whiskies’ past: “Tomatin” translates to “Hill of the Juniper Bush”, as juniper wood gives off no smoke while burning, it has long been a favourite of illicit distillers who must keep their practice secret.
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