Tomatin 18 Years Old

An official Tomatin single malt, an 18 year old and bottled at 46%. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. The distillery was founded in 1897 by a local company, taking its name from the village, Gaelic for hill of the juniper.

The spirit was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. Sherry wood suits the soft make, lending dried fruit and a nutty depth. 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. The distillery sits beside the A9, the old road north to Inverness.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded. Pear, honey and a malty note, and sherried dried fruit and a nutty edge come through. The mouthfeel is soft, the fruit carried on a mellow body. A long, honeyed finish carries a fruity lift. This is a gentle, fruity Highland single malt.