Tomatin 11 Years Old 2011 (Discovery)

From Gordon & MacPhail comes this Tomatin, an 11 year old release from 2011 and bottled at 43%. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. Tomatin malt long fed blends such as The Antiquary and The Talisman.

It was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak for a honeyed sweetness. At this age the spirit is fresh and fruity, apple and pear bright. Sherry wood suits the soft make, lending dried fruit and a nutty depth. 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. The Antiquary blend came into the group through the blender J and W Hardie.

At an easy 43% it is light. Pear, honey and a malty note, and ex-Bourbon oak gives vanilla and a light apple. The texture is soft and round, the fruit lifted by honey. The finish runs gentle, fruity and mellow. This is a fruity Highland single malt from the Monadhliath hills.