Tomatin 16 Years Old 2008 Cask #TWC 0322 (The Whisky Chamber)

This is a Tomatin, chosen and bottled by The Whisky Chamber, aged 16 year old from 2008, drawn from cask TWC 0322 and bottled at 58.9%. Only 284 bottles were released. Tomatin is a Highland single malt distilled in the hills south of Inverness, where the distillery was founded in 1897. The core is unpeated, with peated spirit made one week a year and bottled as Cu Bocan.

The spirit was distilled slowly for the soft, fruity Tomatin make, building the approachable Tomatin style. A sherry cask wrapped the soft spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Around the mid teens the malt gains a fuller honey and ripe fruit. Long, gentle ageing turns the fresh fruit towards honey and soft spice. 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.

At its natural 58.9% it is concentrated. Apple, vanilla and a light spice, and the Madeira lends raisin and a caramelised nuttiness. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft spice. It closes soft, fruity and warm. This is the softer side of the Highlands.