Distillery

Tomatin whiskies

Tomatin is a Highland distillery in the mountains south of Inverness, at high altitude. In the seventies it was the largest malt distillery in Scotland, with an enormous capacity. It belongs to a Japanese group, Takara Shuzo, and was the first Scottish distillery with Japanese owners. Its malt is smooth, fruity and very good value for money, and it also produces a peated line.

Founded
1897
Owner
Takara Shuzo
Origin
Highlands, Scotland
In the catalogue
5 whiskies

History, style and where to startSee it on the world mapTomatin official website

  • Tomatin distillery, photo 1 of 3
    Photo: Nick Forwood · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Tomatin distillery, photo 2 of 3
    Photo: Dg-505 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)
  • Tomatin distillery, photo 3 of 3
    Photo: Enric · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped and converted)

5 whiskies

Guide to Tomatin

History

The distillery was founded at the end of the 19th century, in an area crossed by drovers taking their cattle to markets in the south. For much of the 20th century its whisky went into blends, and its capacity kept growing: in the seventies it had more than twenty stills. In the crisis of the eighties the owning company went bankrupt and, in the middle of the decade, it was bought by a Japanese group led by Takara Shuzo. Over time the house reduced the size of the distillery and promoted its own malt.

House style

Tomatin’s style is smooth and fruity: honey, apple, pear, vanilla, cereal and a floral touch, with a medium body and a sweet finish. The house matures in bourbon, sherry and virgin oak casks. Legacy combines bourbon and new oak casks, which add vanilla and spice. The house’s peated line is sold under another name. It is a friendly style that almost everyone likes.

Average flavour profile of its 5 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
3.1
Fresh fruit
2.5
Ripe and dried fruit
1.8
Floral and herbal
0.9
Cereal and malt
1.4
Vanilla and creamy
2.0
Oak
1.6
Spicy
1.7
Toasted
1.5
Smoky
0.6
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
2.3

Where to start

Tomatin Legacy is the way in: smooth, sweet and with vanilla. Tomatin 12 Year Old gains body and honey, with a touch of sherry. Both are good options if you are after smooth, affordable Highland malts. Drink them neat, with a few drops of water or on the rocks. If smoke appeals to you, also look for the house’s peated line, which keeps the same smooth, fruity base.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

Explore more