Tomatin 45 Years Old 1967 Cask #DL 9315 (Directors’ Cut)

From Douglas Laing comes this Tomatin, a 45 year old release from 1967, drawn from cask DL 9315 and bottled at 51.6%. 175 bottles in all. 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. 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. 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.

At cask strength 51.6% it is full bodied. Apple, pear and a soft honey, and raisin and a nutty sherry depth build. The texture is soft and round, the fruit lifted by honey. The finish runs gentle, fruity and mellow. This is a fruity Highland single malt from the Monadhliath hills.