Tomatin 30 Years Old 1993 Cask #6812 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Tomatin was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, a 30 year old from 1993, drawn from cask 6812 and bottled at 58.4%. A release of 502 bottles. Tomatin, founded in 1897 in the Highland village of the same name, was once Scotland's largest malt distillery. 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 cask wrapped the soft spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Very old Tomatin turns soft and profound, the fruit deep and the oak polished. The long fermentation lays down the fruit the cask then frames. 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. Under Japanese stewardship the focus turned from sheer volume to quality.

At a full 58.4% it is bold yet fruity. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and sherried dried fruit and a nutty edge come through. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft spice. It closes soft, fruity and warm. This is Tomatin, the fruity Highland malt.