Tomatin distillery information
Located at 315 meters (1028 feet) above sea level in the Monadhliath Mountains in the village of Tomatin (south of Inverness, and a few kilometers west of Loch Ness), we find the Tomatin distillery. The site is thought to have been distilling and supplying whisky to locals, the distillery itself was established in 1897, and operated until its bankruptcy in 1906. It reopened under new ownership three years later as Tomtain Distillery Co Ltd, and remained in operation until 1986. During that period, major changes were made to the distillery as in 1956, the amount of stills was doubled from 2 to 4. Two more stills were added in 1958, with additional stills following until in 1974, Tomatin operated no less than 23 stills, making it one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, with a potential annual produce of up to 12 million liters. Since then, several of the stills were removed, and currently the distillery would be able to produce 5 million lpa, though they normally produce less than half that.
Tomatin Whiskies
Core range
The everyday lineup, matured across a variety of cask types.
- Legacy, light and delicate, in the traditional Tomatin style, matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Virgin Oak casks.
- 12 Year Old Triple Cask, triple wood maturation across ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and refill casks.
- 12 Year Old Sherry Cask, fully matured in Sherry casks.
- Cask Strength, first-fill whisky matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Sherry casks.
- 14 Year Old Tawny Port, matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Tawny Port casks.
- 18 Year Old Oloroso Sherry, a dry single malt with final maturation in Oloroso Sherry butts.
- Double Cask, matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso Sherry casks.
- 10 Year Old, matured in ex-Bourbon casks.
- Dualchas American Oak, matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Virgin Oak casks.
Cù Bòcan (peated)
Named after a legendary hellhound, this is Tomatin’s lightly peated line.
- Cù Bòcan Signature, matured in Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry and North American Virgin Oak casks, bottled at 46% ABV.
- Cù Bòcan 12 Year Old, Batch #1, finished in Caribbean rum casks.
- Cù Bòcan 15 Year Old, 2023 Edition, matured in Oloroso Sherry casks, limited to 6,000 bottles.
- Cù Bòcan Creation #8, the current release in an ongoing series of limited-edition Creations in less conventional cask types. Past Creations have used Moroccan Cabernet Sauvignon, Tawny Port, Colombian Andean Oak, Pedro Ximénez, and ice wine casks among others.
The Antiquary
Tomatin’s blended Scotch whisky brand, made from Highland and Speyside malts and Lowland grain whiskies.
- The Antiquary 15 Years Old, matured in Claret casks from Bordeaux.
- The Antiquary 21 Years Old, matured in Port casks from the Symington family estates in Portugal.
- The Antiquary 30 Years Old, matured in Sherry casks from Jerez.
Distillery Exclusives
A rotating series of single-cask bottlings sold only through the distillery.
- Virgin Oak 2019
- Oloroso 2010
- Madeira 2014
Limited Releases
Seasonal collections exploring specific cask and wine themes.
- The Sherry Collection: Manzanilla Edition, Palo Cortado Edition, The Pedro Ximénez Edition
- The Italian Collection: Barolo Edition, Marsala Edition
Prestige
Extra-aged, small-batch bottlings at the top of the range.
- 30 Year Old, ex-Bourbon casks
- 36 Year Old, Bourbon and Sherry casks
- 50 Year Old, Oloroso Sherry casks
Japanese ties
- Kurokabegura Japanese New Make Spirit, a 200ml unaged spirit tied to the distillery’s Japanese ownership.
- Cù Bòcan 1989 – Created from the produce of three casks, this is a limited version of the regular Cù Bòcan.
- 15 Year Old – Matured in Bourbon barrels and Tempranillo wine casks
- 21 Years Old
- 40 Years Old
- 1973
- 1977
- 1980
- 1982
- 1990
- 1992
- Antiquary 1977
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Tomatin |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Water source | Alt-na Frith |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | Takara Shuzo Co. |
| Address | Tomatin Inverness Inverness-Shire IV13 7YT, Scotland |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | http://www.tomatin.com/ |
| https://www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897 | |
| http://www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897 | |
| https://www.instagram.com/tomatinwhisky/ | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 8 tonnes | 1 (Lauter tun, stainless steel) |
| Washback | 7,000 litres | 12 (stainless steel) |
| Wash still | 16,800 litres | 6 |
| Spirit Still | 16,800 litres | 6 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 5,050,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomatin sits at 315 metres (1,028 feet) above sea level in the Monadhliath Mountains, in the village of Tomatin south of Inverness, just a few kilometres west of Loch Ness.
Geographically, Tomatin would fall within the Speyside region, but since the distillery classifies itself as a Highland whisky, that’s the classification used here too.
Founded in 1897, Tomatin went bankrupt in 1906 and reopened three years later as Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd, operating until 1986. The number of stills doubled from two to four in 1956, with two more added in 1958 and further additions following until Tomatin reached 23 stills in 1974, making it one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, with a potential annual output of up to 12 million litres. Several stills have since been removed; the distillery can now produce around 5 million litres of pure alcohol a year, though it typically produces less than half that.
Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd went into liquidation in 1985, and ownership transferred to Japan’s Takara Shuzo Co and Okara & Co, making Tomatin the first Scottish distillery under Asian ownership. Takara Shuzo shortly after acquired Okara’s share as well, becoming sole owner.
Tomatin was the first distillery to switch from a traditional rake-based mash tun to a Lauter mash tun, which uses rotating knives instead. This helps extract more starch from the barley during mashing, producing a clearer wort.
Cu Bocan is named after a legendary hellhound and is Tomatin’s lightly peated whisky line, distinct from the distillery’s traditionally unpeated core range.
The Antiquary is Tomatin’s blended Scotch whisky brand, made from Highland and Speyside malts alongside Lowland grain whiskies, with releases including a 15, 21 and 30 Year Old matured in Claret, Port and Sherry casks respectively.
The core range includes Legacy, matured in Bourbon barrels and Virgin Oak casks in the traditional light, delicate Tomatin style; a 12 Year Old Triple Cask and a 12 Year Old Sherry Cask; a Cask Strength bottling; a 14 Year Old Tawny Port; an 18 Year Old Oloroso Sherry; a Double Cask; a 10 Year Old; and Dualchas American Oak.
Yes, Tomatin has a visitor centre.