Tomatin

Despite this Highlands whisky distillery brand isn’t (…), the Tomatin Distillery is notated in the top-10 most producing distilleries in Scotland, producing approximately five million liters of pure alcohol per annum using twelve stills in the production. The character of Tomatin Single Malt Whisky is best defined by its taste and scents of fruits, herbs, cinnamon and grainy, “cookie-like” notes.

Established in the 1897, the Tomatin Distillery is one of Scotland’s many distilleries originated form the Scotland’s late 19th century Victorian whisky boom. Some whisky fanatic business men named Alexander Allan, John MacDougall and John MacLeish founded the Tomatin Spey District Distillery Co Ltd. and established the Tomatin Distillery in the Northern district of the Highlands. This location was strategically chosen due to its adjacency to the Alt-na-Frith Burn, and the new constructed railway which served as a distribution channel to the market of Inverness. But despite for all the positive odds, the company went bankrupt less than a decade later due to the decreased demand for single malt whisky. The Tomatin Distillery was shut down in 1906, but continued its production three years later under the brand new firm name of “The Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd.”

The following decades weren’t very prosperous for Tomatin, but after the second World War things changed in a positive way. Within years, the distillery’s production capacity increased rapidly. In 1974 the Tomatin Distillery was completely renovated and counted no less than 23 operating stills. Producing 12 million liters of pure alcohol per annum, the Tomatin Distillery was Scotland's largest distillery at that time.

However, the late 20th century global market saturation didn’t pass by Tomatin, by which the distillery was forced to discontinue its productions in 1980. The Tomatin Distillery remained in a dormant state until 1986, when it was purchased by a collaboration between the Japanese companies Takara Shuzo Co. and Okara & Co, which have been two of Tomatin’s loyal customers for many decades. It was the first time a Japanese firm acquired a Scottish distillery. In 1998 Takara Shuzo Co. acquired full ownership of the Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd. and remained at the helm of this successful Highlands distillery until this day.