Tomatin

Tomatin is a Scotch whisky distillery in the northeast of Scotland. It stands around 16 miles south of the Highland capital of Inverness.

Tomatin became the first Scottish distillery under Japanese ownership when it was taken over by Takara Shuzo in 1986.

Tomatin’s single malt is often marketed as the softer side of the Highlands. The spirit is light, fresh and fruity with some gentle spice.

Tomatin operated two pot stills until 1958 when a program of expansion saw the distillery become the largest in Scotland. Production peaked at 12.5 million litres per year in the 1970s but the distillery rarely, if ever, ran to capacity.

Throughout most of its time, Tomatin has produced spirit for use in various blended Scotch brands. It has contributed to the likes of Antiquary and Talisman.

Recent years have seen the focus shift to promoting Tomatin as a single malt brand. As part of the process, a new wood policy was implemented to produce a better quality of whisky. Today, around 40% of the distillery’s output is bottled as single malt.

Tomatin was the first distillery to be fitted with a Lauter mash tun. The tun has rotating arms fitted with blades that gently lift the malt and allow the wort to drain. The end result is a clearer wort, leading to a lighter spirit. The distillery’s tall, slim stills also ensure only the lightest of spirit vapours reach the summit.

There are 14 warehouses on site. Spirit ages in a combination of refill hogsheads, ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. The 14-year-old expression is finished in a port cask.

Tomatin’s core range consists of the entry-level Legacy bottling with 12, 18, 30 and 36-year-old expressions. In addition, there is a full Travel Retail selection and various special limited editions, including the Five Virtues and Decades II. 

In 2013, Tomatin unveiled a new peated bottling. Named Cu Bocan, it was said to be inspired by a spectral hound that haunted the distillery. Creation #3 and #4 of Cu Bocan are due for release in autumn 2021.

There are stories of whisky being made at Tomatin in the 16^th century. An old cattle drovers road passes through the area and the drovers filled their flasks from a small still.

The distillery as we know it today was established in 1897. Operated by the Tomatin Spey Distillery Company Ltd, it lasted until 1906 before going bust.

The distillery reopened under new ownership in 1909 and began to enjoy some success. By the 1950s, there was talk of expansion.

In 1956, the stills doubled from two to four. Two years later, another pair was added. In 1961, the stills were increased to 11 and in 1974 another 12 were installed. With 23 pot stills, Tomatin became the largest distillery in Scotland. 

The distillery never came close to running at capacity and by the 1980s the business was floundering. In the end, closure was prevented by the former bulk customer, Takara Shuzo.

The new owners rolled back some of the excessive expansion. The distillery is currently producing around 5 million litres per year.

Takara Shuzo refocused the distillery’s output with a view to expanding its single malt range. As a result, the brand has grown in popularity. In ten years single malt sales increased from 100,000 bottles to almost 500,000. 

Tours are available at Tomatin's visitor centre.