Strathdearn (Tomatin) 7 Year Old 2014

By 1974, Tomatin was the largest distillery in Scotland with an incredible 23 stills producing content for a variety of blenders. Its own single malt presence has been muted since its foundation in 1897, that is until it went into liquidation in 1985 and was rescued by a Japanese consortium, who wanted to protect a reliable source for their domestic blends. Since then, the number of stills may have reduced and this unique site just south of Inverness, may have less traffic, but there’s been a slow and confident push to establish Tomatin as more of a whisky in its own right. Armed with a sizeable maturing inventory, the team have also been able to release a new brand known as Cu Bocan to showcase a smokier and darker side.