Tomatin 36 Years Old Cask #Batch 11

This Tomatin, an official release, a 36 year old, drawn from cask Batch 11 and bottled at 45.1%. 1200 bottles in all. Set in the Highland hills south of Inverness, Tomatin has made single malt since 1897. By 1974 Tomatin ran twenty three stills and was the largest malt distillery in Scotland.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. 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. 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. Cold, clean water runs down to the distillery from the hills above.

Undiluted at 45.1%, it is layered. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle sweetness. 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.