Tomatin 19 Years Old 2006 Cask #722 (casQueteers)

This is a Tomatin, chosen and bottled by casQueteers matured to 19 year old from 2006, drawn from cask 722 and bottled at 49.8%. Only 139 bottles were released. Founded in 1897 high in the Monadhliath hills, Tomatin makes a soft, fruity Highland single malt. By 1974 Tomatin ran twenty three stills and was the largest malt distillery in Scotland.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. A refill bourbon cask held it, keeping the fruit to the fore. Past twenty years the spirit turns honeyed and full while staying soft. The soft, fruity spirit takes cask character readily across maturation. 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.

Undiluted at 49.8%, it is layered. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. It finishes soft, fruity and clean. This is the softer side of the Highlands.