Tomatin Single Cask 18 Years Old 2005

This Tomatin, an official release matured to 18 year old from 2005, drawn from cask 40387 and bottled at 55.1%. A release of 241 bottles. Tomatin is the soft, fruity Highland malt of a distillery founded in 1897 near Inverness. It was bought in 1986 by Takara Shuzo of Japan, the first Scotch distillery in Japanese hands.

Distilled slowly for the soft, fruity Tomatin make, building the approachable Tomatin style. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, soft oak that lets the fruit lead. By this age the soft spirit rounds into orchard fruit and a gentle oak. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, malty core over time. 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.

At 55.1%, undiluted, it is deep and fruity. Apple, vanilla and a light spice, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. Beneath it run apple, pear and a soft spice. It closes soft, fruity and warm. This is Tomatin, the fruity Highland malt.