Tomatin 11 Years Old 2013 Single Cask Cask Strength (Hart Brothers)

A Tomatin single malt, selected and bottled by Hart Brothers, an 11 year old from 2013 and bottled at 54.9%. Tomatin, founded in 1897 in the Highland village of the same name, was once Scotland's largest malt distillery. Water comes from the Allt na Frithe, the burn of the deer, in the Monadhliath hills.

It was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the soft make. Still young, the malt is fruity and mellow with a gentle spice. Dunnage and racked warehousing on site gives a steady maturation. 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. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 54.9%, it is rich. Pear, honey and a malty note, and raisin and a nutty sherry depth build. It is fruity and soft, the fruit and oak well matched. The finish is rounded, honeyed and gentle. This is a soft, approachable Highland malt.