Tomatin 8 Years Old 2017 Cask #11 (The Caskhound)

Single malt Tomatin, an independent The Caskhound bottling, aged 8 year old from 2017, drawn from cask 11 and bottled at 51.9%. Just 57 bottles were filled. Tomatin is a Highland single malt distilled in the hills south of Inverness, where the distillery was founded in 1897. 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 sherry cask wrapped the soft spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Younger here, it keeps a light, fruity freshness over soft honey. The soft, fruity spirit takes cask character readily across maturation. 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. For most of its life the distillery rarely ran to its full capacity.

Bottled at a cask strength 51.9%, it is rich. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and the Palo Cortado adds a dry, nutty, savoury note. Soft orchard fruit and honey sit behind the cask. The close is soft, fruit over gentle oak. This is the soft, fruity Highland malt of Tomatin.