Tomatin Metal

This Tomatin, an official release, bottled at 46%. 6000 bottles in all. Founded in 1897 high in the Monadhliath hills, Tomatin makes a soft, fruity Highland single malt. Tomatin malt long fed blends such as The Antiquary and The Talisman.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak for a honeyed sweetness. With no age statement, it shows the soft, fruity body of Tomatin. The long fermentation lays down the fruit the cask then frames. 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. The Antiquary blend came into the group through the blender J and W Hardie. Malt is bought in, the distillery's own floor maltings having closed in the 1980s. For most of its life the distillery rarely ran to its full capacity.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and vanilla and a soft oak come from the bourbon wood. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft spice. It closes soft, fruity and warm. This is Tomatin, the fruity Highland malt.