Tomatin 31 Years Old 1975 Old & Rare The Platinum Selection (Douglas Laing)

Single malt Tomatin, an independent Douglas Laing bottling, a 31 year old from 1975 and bottled at 55.6%. Just 252 bottles were filled. Tomatin, founded in 1897 in the Highland village of the same name, was once Scotland's largest malt distillery. Water comes from the Allt na Frithe, the burn of the deer, in the Monadhliath hills.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the soft spirit. At this great age the malt is full and mellow, the fruit deep and the oak soft. The soft, fruity spirit takes cask character readily across maturation. 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. Tomatin stands at over three hundred metres, among the highest in the land.

At a full 55.6% it is bold yet fruity. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and the wine cask lends red berry and a dry spice. It is gentle and fruity, the soft spirit shining through. A fruity, lightly spiced finish lingers. This is the soft, fruity Highland malt of Tomatin.