Tomatin Selected Single Cask Bottling 9 Years Old 2006

A distillery bottling of Tomatin, aged 9 year old from 2006, drawn from cask 4741 and bottled at 60.3%. 553 bottles in all. Set in the Highland hills south of Inverness, Tomatin has made single malt since 1897. By 1974 Tomatin ran twenty three stills and was the largest malt distillery in Scotland.

It was made in copper stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, mellow make. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the soft make. At this age the spirit is fresh and fruity, apple and pear bright. Dunnage and racked warehousing on site gives a steady maturation. It closed in 1906 and reopened in 1909, finding its feet over the following decades. 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.

At 60.3%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Pear, honey and a malty note, and sherried dried fruit and a nutty edge come through. 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.