Tomintoul

Tomintoul (pronounced tom-in-towel) is a Scottish single malt distillery from the famous Speyside region. This child of the 1960s was born during the decade's boom time and sits deep within the famous Livet Glen. Often overshadowed by its illustrious neighbour of Glenlivet, the distillery is finally becoming popular. A wide range of single malts shows Tomintoul's versatility.

Tomintoul is known for its light, fresh and fruity style of single malt. Green apple, delicate wood spices and underlying malted notes are evident. Older expressions exhibit a distinct tropical fruit characteristic. The spirit matures well in both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon whiskey casks.

The core range is extensive with age statements at 10 (40% abv), 14, 16, 18 and 25 years old. These are complemented by the no age statement bottlings of Tlath ('mellow' in Gaelic), Seiridh ('sherry') and Cigar Malt. Two cask-finished whiskies are also present - the 12-year-old Oloroso Sherry Finish and 15-year-old Port Finish.

Peated side of Tomintoul is represented by the youthful Peaty Tang, either without age statement or as a 15-year-old. Heavier peat smoke is delivered in the Old Ballantruan range. This has a no age statement, plus 10 and 15 y.o. versions.

Tomintoul has an average annual production capacity of 3.3 million litres.

The distillery is equipped with a large 12 tonne mash tun and operates 15 mashes per week. There are six stainless steel washbacks, which run a fermentation time of 60 hours. Four copper pot stills produce the spirit and work in pairs (2x wash and 2x spirit stills). There are 13 warehouses on site with over 100,000 casks being stored within them. The distillery also has a blending centre with a series of large marrying vats.

The majority of the spirit produced is unpeated, but for a short period each year, some heavily peated single malt is distilled. The practice was introduced in 2001 and has happened each year since. The peating level is 55ppm (phenol parts per million). Highland peat is used to create a soft, gentle and sweet smoke.

Tomintoul was founded in 1965 by Tomintoul Distillery Ltd. This company was formed and owned by Hay & Macleod & Co. and W. & S. Strong & Co. They built the distillery in the hamlet of Tomintoul, close to the village of Ballindalloch, during a period of massive growth within the Scotch whisky industry during the 1960s. However, the next 35 years were to see numerous owners come and go.

The first change came after only eight years with the Scottish & Universal Investment Trust taking over in 1973. They also purchased Whyte & Mackay at the time and began using Tomintoul within the company's top-selling blended Scotch blend of the same name. Next was Lonhro in 1978, followed by Brent Walker in 1989 and American Brands in 1990.

At the turn of the 21st century, Angus Dundee Distillers took control. From that point in 2000, they set about putting Tomintoul's spirits on the world whisky map. They have also supplied much needed stability for the distillery and brand, collecting multiple awards along the way, and remain as owners today. Tomintoul was their first distillery and was later joined by Glencadam in 2003.