Tomatin Portuguese Collection – Port Casks 15 Years Old 2006

An official Tomatin single malt, a 15 year old Highland malt from 2006 and bottled at 46%. Tomatin is a Highland single malt distilled in the hills south of Inverness, where the distillery was founded in 1897. Tomatin malt long fed blends such as The Antiquary and The Talisman.

It was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the soft spirit. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. Sherry wood suits the soft make, lending dried fruit and a nutty depth. Cu Bocan focuses on unusual cask finishes, from sherry to wine and beyond. Tomatin stands at over three hundred metres, among the highest in the land. An old cattle drovers' road ran through Tomatin, and whisky was made here long before the distillery. The arrival of the Highland Railway in the 1890s made the distillery possible. It closed in 1906 and reopened in 1909, finding its feet over the following decades.

Reduced to 46%, it is soft. Pear, honey and a malty note, and the Port cask adds plum and red berry. The mouthfeel is soft, the fruit carried on a mellow body. A long, honeyed finish carries a fruity lift. This is a gentle, fruity Highland single malt.