Tomatin Limited Release 36 Years Old 1973

This official Tomatin single malt, a 36 year old from 1973, drawn from cask 25602 and bottled at 44%. The outturn was 184 bottles. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. A very long fermentation, among the longest in Scotch, builds the fruity character.

Distilled slowly for the soft, fruity Tomatin make, building the approachable Tomatin style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and a soft apple. At this great age the malt is full and mellow, the fruit deep and the oak soft. Long, gentle ageing turns the fresh fruit towards honey and soft spice. Tomatin stands at over three hundred metres, among the highest in the land. An old cattle drovers' road ran through Tomatin, and whisky was made here long before the distillery. The arrival of the Highland Railway in the 1890s made the distillery possible. It closed in 1906 and reopened in 1909, finding its feet over the following decades.

At an easy 44% it is light. Apple, vanilla and a light spice, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light apple. It is gentle and fruity, the soft spirit shining through. A fruity, lightly spiced finish lingers. This is the soft, fruity Highland malt of Tomatin.