Tomatin 12 Years Old 2008 Cask #747 (Lady of the Glen)

A Tomatin single malt, selected and bottled by Lady of the Glen, aged 12 year old from 2008, drawn from cask 747 and bottled at 59.8%. Just 216 bottles were filled. Set in the Highland hills south of Inverness, Tomatin has made single malt since 1897. It was bought in 1986 by Takara Shuzo of Japan, the first Scotch distillery in Japanese hands.

Drawn off copper pot stills fed by the burn of the deer, for a soft, apple and pear scented spirit. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and a soft apple. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. The cool, high Highland climate gives a slow, even maturation. 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.

At a full 59.8% it is bold yet fruity. A soft, fruity sweetness, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle sweetness. The texture is soft and round, the fruit lifted by honey. The finish runs gentle, fruity and mellow. This is a soft, approachable Highland malt.