Tomatin 15 Years Old (43%)

A distillery bottling of Tomatin, a 15 year old release and bottled at 43%. Founded in 1897 high in the Monadhliath hills, Tomatin makes a soft, fruity Highland single malt. Today it works twelve stills, having shifted from blend volume to single malt.

The spirit was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. Mid age brings a deeper honey and a riper orchard fruit. 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. Tomatin stands at over three hundred metres, among the highest in the land.

At 43% it is clean and fruity. Pear, honey and a malty note, and honeyed vanilla comes through from the ex-Bourbon. 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.