Tomatin 30 Years Old 1968 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This is a Tomatin, chosen and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, a 30 year old from 1968 and bottled at 40%. Tomatin, founded in 1897 in the Highland village of the same name, was once Scotland's largest malt distillery. The core is unpeated, with peated spirit made one week a year and bottled as Cu Bocan.

The spirit was distilled slowly for the soft, fruity Tomatin make, building the approachable Tomatin style. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. Very old Tomatin turns soft and profound, the fruit deep and the oak polished. 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 40% it is supple and fruity. Apple, vanilla and a light spice, and vanilla and a soft oak come from the bourbon wood. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. It finishes soft, fruity and clean. This is the softer side of the Highlands.