Tomatin 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #DL 14981 (Old Particular)

This is a Tomatin, chosen and bottled by Douglas Laing, a 12 year old release from 2008, drawn from cask DL 14981 and bottled at 48.4%. 331 bottles in all. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. Cu Bocan takes its name from a spectral hound said to haunt the Tomatin hills.

Worked through onion stills for a light, fruity spirit, for the soft, fruity Highland make Tomatin is known for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the orchard fruit. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. Refill oak lets the fruity Tomatin character lead, apple over honey. The very long fermentation is central to the distillery's fruity character. The distillery sits beside the A9, the old road north to Inverness. Cu Bocan focuses on unusual cask finishes, from sherry to wine and beyond. Tomatin stands at over three hundred metres, among the highest in the land.

At a hearty 48.4% it carries real weight. A mellow, fruity character, and the refill bourbon lends a quiet vanilla. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. It finishes soft, fruity and clean. This is the softer side of the Highlands.