Tomatin 5 Years Old

A distillery bottling of Tomatin matured to 5 year old and bottled at 43%. Tomatin is a Highland single malt distilled in the hills south of Inverness, where the distillery was founded in 1897. A very long fermentation, among the longest in Scotch, builds the fruity character.

Distilled from unpeated malt in copper stills on Allt na Frithe water, giving the light, mellow spirit at its heart. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the orchard fruit. At this age the spirit is fresh and fruity, apple and pear bright. Years in oak round the spirit, the orchard fruit deepening with age. 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. Under Japanese stewardship the focus turned from sheer volume to quality.

At 43% it is supple and fruity. Apple, pear and a soft honey, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. It is fruity and soft, the fruit and oak well matched. The finish is rounded, honeyed and gentle. This is a soft, approachable Highland malt.