Tomatin Single Cask 18 Years Old 2003

A distillery bottling of Tomatin matured to 18 year old from 2003, drawn from cask 1921 and bottled at 51.6%. A release of 228 bottles. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. The core is unpeated, with peated spirit made one week a year and bottled as Cu Bocan.

The spirit was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and a soft apple. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. Dunnage and racked warehousing on site gives a steady maturation. Special releases like Decades and Warehouse 6 have marked the distillery's milestones. Cold, clean water runs down to the distillery from the hills above. Under Japanese stewardship the focus turned from sheer volume to quality. The very long fermentation is central to the distillery's fruity character.

Undiluted at 51.6%, it is layered. Pear, honey and a malty note, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle sweetness. A dried fruit and a soft oak give it depth. Apple, honey and a soft oak see out the finish. This is a mellow Highland single malt from near Inverness.