Tomatin 30 Years Old Cask #Batch 5

An official Tomatin single malt matured to 30 year old, drawn from cask Batch 5 and bottled at 46%. Only 3900 bottles were released. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. Today it works twelve stills, having shifted from blend volume to single malt.

The spirit was distilled from unpeated malt in copper stills on Allt na Frithe water, giving the light, mellow spirit at its heart. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. At over thirty years it is rich and mellow, tropical fruit, honey and old oak. A patient maturation suits the soft, fruity Tomatin character. 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.

At an easy 46% it is light. Apple, pear and a soft honey, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle sweetness. 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.