Tomatin Distillery is located in the Highlands between Aviemore and Inverness on the Speyside border. Tomatin, which mean Hill of the Juniper, was once the biggest malt distillery in Scotland. I was recently invited to visit the distillery, where I got to meet master blender and global brand ambassador, Scott Adamson. He walked me through the history of Tomatin and poured us some whiskies.
History of Tomatin Distillery
The story of Tomatin Distillery begins with a local man, John MacDougall, who was looking after the overall land where the distillery now resides. In 1892 it was announced that the Highland Railway route would pass through the town, opening up greater transportation possibilities. This was when John pitched his idea of a distillery to the London-based landowners. They, of course, loved the idea of getting steady rental income (and the occasional bottle of whisky) and John was able to start planning his dream. Tomatin Spey District Distillery was registered on the 8th June 1897.
Unfortunately, it only stayed open until 1906, reopening under new management in 1909. Like most distilleries, the recession of the 1980s hit the distillery hard. At the time, the distillery was the largest malt whisky distillery in Scotland, with a total of 23 stills and an overall capacity of 10 million litres per year, although it is said that production never ran at full capacity.
They didn’t have to stay closed for too long, as in 1986 two Japanese companies came to the rescue and purchased the distillery, making Tomatin the first Scottish whisky distillery under Japanese ownership. To this day, Takara Shuzo remains the majority shareholder.
In 2002 they decided to reduce the number of stills to 12, which marks a change in business focus from mass production for the blended Scotch whisky market to growing their range of single malts. Quality over quantity. Today they make just over two million litres per annum.
Wood policy
The production capacity isn’t the only thing that has changed. They levelled up their packaging and overall marketing.
But the main improvement was in their wood policy. A higher percentage of first-fill casks, both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry, has added to the character of their single malts, each one bursting with flavour while still showcasing the classic Tomatin house style: unpeated, light, soft and fruity.
The core range includes five single malts: Legacy (a combination of bourbon barrels and new oak), 12-Year-Old (bourbon and sherry casks), Cask Strength (bourbon and sherry combo), 14-Year-Old (bourbon and port casks), 18-Year-Old (Oloroso sherry). There’s also an exclusive release for the US market, Dualchas American Oak (bourbon and new oak).
I sampled the core range with Scott, and he described the Legacy as the community whisky, the 12-Year-Old as being all about the surrounding nature, and the 14-Year-Old release focusing on the brand history. It became clear to me what Tomatin is all about, with each release offering those rich and sweet characteristics. I enjoyed them all, but it was the 14- and the 18-Year-Old that really stood out for me.
Want to learn more about cask influence? See Types of Casks and How They Influence Whisky
Limited-edition whisky
Tomatin Distillery regularly brings out new limited-edition series using various casks from different countries. For example, in 2021 they revealed the French Collection using casks like Cognac, Monbazillac and Sauternes.
Last year they brought out a Portuguese collection with Madeira (divine!), Port and Moscatel. This year was all about Italian wood, with Marsala, Amarone and Barolo.
Read my thought on Tomatin Italian Collection.
The Community
Tomatin Distillery has a strong sense of community. It almost feels like a small village, with 30 cottages dotted around the distillery, most occupied by current or retired employees of the distillery.
On several occasions during the tour, Scott stressed how the community lies at the heart of every aspect of the brand, from cooperage to actual whisky selection. Many have worked there for their whole working lives. Scott showed me the old bottling room where you can still see signatures on the wall from different generations.
The Legacy bottling from Tomatin’s core range is a collaboration between the distillery and the staff. Several samples were given to the workers to test at home with friends and family. They then submitted their favourite, which almost unanimously was the current Legacy release. It is a whisky that celebrates the community and their commitment to their craft.
Cù Bòcan
Tomatin’s whisky range has also seen the addition of a peated whisky, Cù Bòcan Highland Single Malt, which was first released in 2005. The brand is all about innovation and unusual casks. They have a whisky aged in Moroccan Cabernet Sauvignon and North American Rye Casks, Colombian Andean Oak Casks, and also a mix of Tawny Port and Cognac, just to name a few.
The latest release is a 15-year-old whisky fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks.
Sustainability at Tomatin Distillery
Tomatin Distillery was named Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the Icons of Whisky Awards in 2023. In 2013 the distillery became the first one in Scotland to install an environmentally efficient wood pellet-fuelled steam boiler for use in production. They use locally produced wood pellets manufactured in Invergordon using renewable electrical and thermal energy and raw materials from local forests.
The wood pellets are made from virgin wood, where two trees are planted for each one harvested, and the woodchip created from the production of the pellets generates electricity, making the production site (only 35 miles from the distillery) self-sufficient and the end product carbon neutral.
Instead of using the draff (by-product of the mashing process) in animal feed, Tomatin Distillery now send it to a biogas plant to generate a green sustainable fuel which is then fed into the mains gas network.
In 2021 the distillery added more control valves to their water-cooling system, which helped to cut their water consumption by more than half. A lot of the environmental issues come from transportation. At Tomatin over 60% of the vehicle fleet is either fully electric or hybrid. They even have a rapid EV charging point on site.
Overall
There’s a lot to cover when it comes to Tomatin Distillery. It is clear that their key focus is on creating great single malt using a well thought-out cask policy. They often opt for refill casks for the first maturation to allow the classic Tomatin flavours to shine through even after the secondary maturation. Whether it was a sherry, port or any other cask type, you can still recognise its core.
Sustainability is important and is something they are constantly monitoring and finding new ways to do better. It can be hard for old distilleries to adapt to new ways, but Tomatin has done exceptionally well with it.
I always appreciate distilleries looking after the locals and working together with the people who are integral to the success of the brand. I’m already looking forward to my next visit to the distillery!
Have you visited Tomatin Distillery? Which is your favourite whisky from their core range?
Disclaimer: This post has been created in collaboration with Tomatin Distillery.
