Tomatin 34 Years Old 1976 Grotesque Crocs (The Whisky Agency)

From The Whisky Agency comes this Tomatin, aged 34 year old from 1976 and bottled at 51.3%. A release of 309 bottles. Tomatin is a Highland single malt distilled in the hills south of Inverness, where the distillery was founded in 1897. By 1974 Tomatin ran twenty three stills and was the largest malt distillery in Scotland.

It was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. Maturation in a sherry cask laid dried fruit over the fruit. Decades leave it deep and gentle, candied fruit and a waxy honey with great age. Sherry wood suits the soft make, lending dried fruit and a nutty depth. The arrival of the Highland Railway in the 1890s made the distillery possible. It closed in 1906 and reopened in 1909, finding its feet over the following decades. The Antiquary blend came into the group through the blender J and W Hardie. Malt is bought in, the distillery's own floor maltings having closed in the 1980s.

At a full 51.3% it is bold yet fruity. Pear, honey and a malty note, and the Oloroso gives dried fruit and a toasted nuttiness. A dried fruit and a soft oak give it depth. Apple, honey and a soft oak see out the finish. This is a fruity Highland single malt from the Monadhliath hills.