All about Tomatin

Tomatin offers a variety of single malt Whiskies. The house style is said to be driven by fruit and spice, with both peated and unpeated examples in its catalogue. Tomatin employs Bourbon, Sherry, and new oak casks for maturation depending on the bottling produced and makes available age statements of 12, 14, 15, 18, 21 and 30 years old.

All about Tomatin distillery

About 15 miles south of Inverness, on the edge of the River Findhorn, sits Tomatin Distillery. Built for its proximity to fresh water and a railway, Tomatin now surrounds itself with a campus, home to 80% of its staff.

The word Tomatin is Gaelic, meaning, "hill of the juniper bush," but the brand owes its parentage to the writing of the Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott. The Tomatin distillery first ran in 1897, next to a village of the same name.

Founded at the height of the Whisky boom by a group of investors Tomatin enjoyed early success and began expanding through the middle of the 20th century.

In 1974, Tomatin grew to a staggering 23 stills, making it, at the time, the largest distillery in Scotland. But lean times endured as a result of the 1980's downturn, forcing Tomatin into liquidation, and the company was sold to the Japanese Takara Shuzo Ltd.

With a renewed focus on quality, Tomatin single malts are well regarded, and the distillery has surged into the 21st century. At peak production in the 1970s, Tomatin pumped out 12 million liters of Whisky annually.

Today the facility is focused on single malt production, and makes roughly 2.5 million liters each year, using only four of its spirit stills. Fermentation takes place in 12 stainless steel washbacks before the wash is pumped to the pot stills.

Tomatin ages its make in 14 warehouses using every kind of wood you can think of and, interestingly, maintains its own cooperage to tend to its many casks.

Distillery info

  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Region: Highlands
  • Address: Inverness IV13 7YT, United Kingdom
  • Phone: +44 1463 248148
  • Website: www.tomatin.com