Tomatin 12 Year Old

Sweet and awarded Highlander.

Not far from Inverness, there's a small village of Tomatin. The name means "hill of juniper" in Gaelic and has nothing to do with tomatoes. Rumor has it, Whisky has been made here since the 1500s, but the establishment called Tomatin Spey Distillery was founded in 1897. In mid-Eighties, it was bought by Takara Shuzo and in 1987, it was known as the largest malt distillery in Scotland. They mostly make blended Whiskies (such as Talisman and Antiquary) and in 2014, they updated the previous 12YO expression and created this beauty.

Now, it's bottled at 43% ABV instead of 40%. The Spirit spent over a decade in ex-Bourbon barrels, before it received a lovely Oloroso Sherry finish. Its smoothness, subtlety and creaminess brought this Scotch a bunch of awards, including the Double Gold at 2019 San Francisco WSC and 91.5 points from Jim Murray. It's a refreshing and rich release every malt-head should try.