Tomatin 29 Years Old 1994 Whisky Sponge (Decadent Drinks)

Bottled by Decadent Drinks, this Tomatin, a 29 year old release from 1994 and bottled at 49.5%. 190 bottles in all. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. Tomatin malt long fed blends such as The Antiquary and The Talisman.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut. At this great age the malt is full and mellow, the fruit deep and the oak soft. The long fermentation lays down the fruit the cask then frames. Malt is bought in, the distillery's own floor maltings having closed in the 1980s. For most of its life the distillery rarely ran to its full capacity. 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.

At 49.5%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and sherried dried fruit and a nutty edge come through. Soft orchard fruit and honey sit behind the cask. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is Tomatin's soft, fruity Highland style.