Tomatin 9 Years Old 2013 Cask #5190 (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

This is a Tomatin, chosen and bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd matured to 9 year old from 2013, drawn from cask 5190 and bottled at 52.5%. Just 330 bottles were filled. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. Tomatin malt long fed blends such as The Antiquary and The Talisman.

It was run through the distillery's onion stills after a long fermentation, to build a fruity, gently spiced character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak for a honeyed sweetness. At this age the spirit is fresh and fruity, apple and pear bright. The soft, fruity spirit takes cask character readily across maturation. 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. 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.

At its natural 52.5% it is concentrated. Orchard fruit and a gentle malt, and the oak lends vanilla and a soft sweetness. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft spice. It closes soft, fruity and warm. This is the softer side of the Highlands.