Tomatin 12 Year Old Cuatro Manzanilla Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Tomatin 12 Year Old Cuatro Manzanilla Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Situated over 1,000 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Monadhliath Mountains, Tomatin Distillery is one of the highest distilleries in Scotland. Its origins date back to the 15th century when drivers, bringing their cattle over the high mountain passes to the Tomatin market, filled their flasks from a still hidden at the Old Laird's House, which is situated adjacent to the distillery. Since that time, centuries of isolation and generations of family tradition (some workers at the distillery are the fifth generation of their family to work there) have created a distillery rooted in Scottish heritage and tradition. Tomatin 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from plump, Scottish barley. After the barley is harvested, it is mashed and fermented before being distilled twice through Tomatin's copper-pot stills. The stills have a round, flat shape that gives the whisky a rounder and sweeter flavor profile, notes Douglas Campbell, Tomatin's master distiller. Campbell, who began working at the distillery in 1961, joined Tomatin as an accountant, doing clerical work. "After that, the managing director, John McDonald, took me under his wing and gave me the chance to work in different parts of the distillery. I did mashing for three or four years, distilling for a couple of years, worked in the warehouses. Eventually, I was one of the charge hands getting casks ready for dispatch." Campbell has over fifty years of experience at Tomatin Distillery. "My father worked here as a cooper, my wife worked here for 10 years as secretary for the managing director, and my son works here now in the warehouse. I was born in Tomatin, I belong to Tomatin. Campbell's expertise is the foundation of Tomatin Whiskies. The distillery has produced several beautiful whiskies, full of character, including their Cuatro range, an exploratory series of biologically and oxidatively sherry aged cask finishes. A simple yet original idea; exploring Sherry in its different states, the intricate depths of its character. To produce these whiskies, Tomatin crafts a single batch of whisky distilled on January 15th, 2002. The batch is matured for nine years in traditional ex-bourbon casks, then transitionedto various first-fill sherry casks for another three years. The range is a tribute to four (Cuatro) different types of Sherry: Manzanilla and Fino which are two biologically aged sherries, and the more traditionally used Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximnez Sherriestwo oxidative sherries. These whiskies showcase the unique characteristics of both oxidative and biological sherry finishes. This biological sherry cask finished single malt is aged for 12 years in Manzanilla casks. Rather mellow on the nose, this whisky offers sweet hints of fruit on the palate.