Tomatin
When Japanese business partners Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co. took over the shares in 1986, Tomatin became the first Scotch distillery ever to be Japanese-owned. Whisky has been distilled here, south of Inverness, since 1897 – on a scale that makes Tomatin one of the largest, and at the same time most underrated, distilleries in the Scottish Highlands.
Tomatin stands for a refined, only lightly peated malt with lovely vanilla notes. From the approachable Tomatin Legacy to the award-winning 18 Year Old, you will find the right bottle for every occasion in our selection.
Content: 0.7 Liter (€88.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€34.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€47.13 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€131.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€64.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€49.99 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.04 Liter (€99.75 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€62.84 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.04 Liter (€174.75 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.04 Liter (€149.75 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€84.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.04 Liter (€149.75 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€135.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€235.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€162.84 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€135.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€78.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€135.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€68.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€168.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€79.99 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€128.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€104.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
How did Tomatin become the first Japanese-run Scotch distillery?
Officially founded in 1897, Tomatin went bankrupt as early as 1906 and could only reopen three years later. As demand for blended Scotch grew, the number of stills increased steadily – from two to a peak of 23 – making Tomatin, with an annual output of around 12 million litres in the 1970s and 80s, the largest distillery in Scotland. Insolvency struck again in 1985. In 1986, long-standing Japanese business partners Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co. took over the distillery, becoming the first Japanese owners of a Scotch whisky distillery – ownership today sits with the Marubeni Corporation. Of the 23 stills installed, only 12 remain in operation today.
Why is Tomatin so little known despite its size?
The vast majority of production goes not into single malt but into blended whiskies such as "The Antiquary" and "Talisman" – which is why Tomatin remains unfamiliar to many consumers, despite being one of the country's largest distilleries. In 1974, the distillery's own malting floor was also decommissioned; since then, Tomatin has sourced its malt, like many other distilleries, from the Glen Ord Maltings.
Overview of the most popular bottlings
1. Tomatin Legacy
The unpeated, no-age-statement entry point.
Taste: Light and vanilla-forward with gentle fruit.
Serving suggestion: An uncomplicated introduction to the Highlands.
2. Tomatin 12 Year Old
The distillery's mature core bottling.
Taste: Vanilla and bright fruit, only lightly peated.
Serving suggestion: A good all-rounder, neat or on ice.
3. Tomatin 18 Year Old
Named best Highland single malt in its age category at the 2014 World Whisky Awards.
Taste: Deepened vanilla-fruit profile with elegant maturity.
Serving suggestion: For special occasions, neat at room temperature.
Facts and figures
Address: Tomatin, Inverness-shire. Capacity: around 5 million litres a year, 6 wash stills and 6 spirit stills (16,000 l each) in active use. Water source: Allt na Frithe Burn.