Tomatin 11 Years Old 2008 (Discovery)

Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, this Tomatin, an 11 year old release from 2008 and bottled at 43%. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. It was bought in 1986 by Takara Shuzo of Japan, the first Scotch distillery in Japanese hands.

Worked through onion stills for a light, fruity spirit, for the soft, fruity Highland make Tomatin is known for. It was matured in ex-Bourbon oak, lending vanilla and a soft honey. At a youthful age the orchard fruit is lively and the malt soft. The unpeated spirit lets the wood and the fruit speak without smoke. The make is light and fruity, easy to like and easy to drink. 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.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. A mellow, fruity character, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle sweetness. Soft orchard fruit and honey sit behind the cask. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is Tomatin's soft, fruity Highland style.