TOMATIN RELEASES ITS FIRST 50 YEAR OLD DISTILLERY BOTTLING

Tomatin, the award-winning Highland whisky distillery, has today (Monday 17^th December) announced the release of its highly anticipated single malt, the Tomatin 50 Year Old, distilled on 24^th November 1967.

Following 50 years of maturation at the distillery, the deep-honey coloured expression has been bottled in its most natural form, yielding just 70 special bottles at 45.3% abv.

Stephen Bremner, Managing Director of Tomatin, said: “It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of Tomatin’s oldest expression – the Tomatin 50 Year Old. This special expression has been quietly resting for half a century,  and it is wonderful to see it presented in all its glory.”

The whisky, finished in a first fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, cask number 35817, is encased within an individually numbered, handblown Glencairn crystal decanter. The decanter is luxuriously presented within a striking Italian crafted wooden box, furnished with soft, premium Italian leather. Sealed with a wooden transit cork, an engraved, solid brass gold-plated and glass stopper is also provided. Each box comes with an individually-numbered book, hand-signed by Distillery Manager, Graham Eunson. Finally, a premium leather carry bag completes the presentation. 

The Tomatin 50 Year Old delivers a myriad of rich and complex flavours. On the nose, aromas of freshly felled oak in an orchard of apples, pears and plums can be expected. Once on the palate, it releases bursts of exotic tropical fruits and dried apricots, sweetened with flavours of vanilla toffee, crème caramel and flame raisins. Spice and fruits balance perfectly, providing a luxurious and velvety finish.

Graham Eunson, Distillery Manager at Tomatin, said: “This dignified expression is elegant and flavourful – a complex whisky with layers of taste sensations to delight the senses. Those privy to a taste of this whisky can expect warming spices which are mellowed by lashings of Manuka honey.”

The Tomatin 50 Year Old is the distillery’s oldest expression and is expected to retail at £10,000 for a 70cl bottle in the UK within specialist retailers.

Notes: 

Tomatin Distillery has been producing and blending malt Scotch whisky since 1897. Over the last 50 years, the distillery has borne witness to vast change. At its peak in the 1970s, Tomatin was the largest distillery in the world operating 23 stills and producing 12 million litres of alcohol every year. Over the last decade, significant time has been invested in rediscovering the distillery, people and values, and in refining the business model to move away from the formerly lucrative bulk commodity market to now focus on Tomatin’s core range of single malts, the release of Tomatin 50 year old is a testament to that dedication.

Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands (near Inverness) and is famous for its portfolio of soft and mellow whiskies, including a core range, a limited-edition range and a premium archive range (prices range from £35 – £2,500). Tomatin is one of the fastest growing whisky brands in the UK and recently announced that it is officially the fastest growing top ten single malt whisky in the USA. Tomatin recently reported its turnover increased by almost 25% during the company’s most recent financial year (Dec 2016 – Dec 2017). Tomatin won Distiller of the Year 2016 and Brand Innovator of the Year 2017 at the Icons of Whisky Scotland Awards.

About The Tomatin 50 Year Old:

• Cask Number: 35817
• Cask Type: First fill Oloroso Sherry Butt
• Strength: 45.3% alc./vol.
• Distilled on: 24^th November 1967
• Number of bottles: 70

If you were to say Robert Burns’ birthday is just an excuse for us to break out the good stuff, we would say ‘No, no, no, no!’…and then we might soften a little and say, ‘well…maybe’.

The truth be told, is somewhere in-between, with a respectful nod to the Bard but with the emphasis very much on the whisky aspect of the evening.

Funny that with a company name like ours…

What you can be sure of is that we will be bringing some of our favourite drams and you can be sure we only drink the good stuff…

We’re also including an authentic and tasty half time supper of Haggis, neeps and tatties.

This tasting features 6 whiskies and as usual you won’t be tasting these whiskies alone, you’ll be in the company of fellow whisky folk and of course one of our whisky experts, who will be on hand to entertain and enlighten you in the ways of the dram.

January 22nd

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Burns’ Tasting 2019 – Sheffield

The Sheffield Tap

Platform 1B, Sheffield Station

Sheffield, S1 2BP

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/burns-tasting-sheffield-2019/

January 23rd

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Burns’ Tasting 2019 – Liverpool

Fly in The Loaf

13 Hardman Street

Liverpool, L1 9AS

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/burns-tasting-liverpool-2019/

January 24th

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Burns’ Tasting 2019 – York

Brigantes

114 Micklegate

York, YO1 6JX

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/burns-tasting-york/

Tamdhu 30 Year Old 1988

Single cask sherry butt bottled November 2018 for Old & Rare Platinum. Three decades in sherry oak has resulted in all the sweet, rich and creamy flavours you’d expect from this Speyside distillery. Just 184 numbered bottles. Tamdhu Distillery was founded in Speyside in 1896 and in production the following year. Designed by Charles Doig this distillery was originally equipped with two stills that were increased to four in 1972 and then six in 1975 in order to cope with the ever increasing demand for Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark blends of scotch to which Tamdhu was a major contributor. When the nearby railway station closed in 1965 the ticket office was subsequently converted into the Tamdhu Distillery visitor. But the visitor centre closed and then the distillery itself in March 2010 and with it the last working Saladin malting boxes in Scotland. A year later and Ian Macleod Distillers purchased Tamdhu Distillery and re-opened it in 2012. Single malts include Tamdhu 10 Year Old and Batch Strength.

Buy – £316.74

Exclusive Spirits

At K&L, we have a very robust direct-import spirits program. Our buyers fan the globe searching for those special gems you won’t find anywhere else—and at unbeatable prices. This list represents some of our sharpest buys from this category and includes some very special K&L exclusive bottlings.

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel “#17-400” (Rick House D, Floor 3, Row 30, Level 1) K&L Exclusive Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml )$64.99 View

1996 Auchroisk 21 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) $89.99 View

1982 Cambus 35 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky (750ml) $179.99 View

1984 Caol Ila 34 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)$375.00 View

DECEMBER 2018 AUCTION ENDS SOON!
(ends Sunday 6th January 2019) 

…place your bids at www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

With an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits there is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest, enjoy!

Well what a year…

It is that time of year again when I am asked to write a few lines about the year that was 2018…oh and what a year.

At the beginning of the year Jim Murray voted “The Norfolk – Parched” best single malt whisky in Europe (the 4^th time we have won the accolade). A lovely start to 2018 – well done the distillers David and Steve.

This exciting win was closely followed by Breckland Lodge, the lovely hotel owned by my wife’s family, burning to the ground, caused by a little over zealous use of a blow torch by one of the roofing contractors. The devastation was complete. Standing watching the flames with nearly 100 staff, who of course had very real concerns for their future was a moment I shall never forget.

In March it snowed and then it snowed some more. I learned a lot about staff loyalty over those few days. On day 2 of the snow, the first waitress to arrive had walked 3 hard miles to get to work; it is moments like that that you realise what a great crew you have working for you. Excitingly the big Land Rover was put into action ferrying staff around for a couple of days after this, so the walk didn’t have to be repeated.

In April, the youngest member of the family, Alfred, turned two. His birthday is on April 1^st and there are times one feels he is trying hard to ensure we remember he was born on April Fools day – he is already proving to be the joker in the family! A note to all – don’t wait until your forties to have children, I swear I’m too old for the job some days! J

May saw the Royal wedding, which seemed to cheer the nation up quite a bit and we got to release one of our rare Royal bottlings. Once again it sold out rather quickly. I am always tempted to do more but get reined in by our distiller, who rightly thinks it is better that a limited edition is very limited. Whilst the big 5 drinks companies seem happy to have 50,000 bottles in a limited edition, we think a tenth of this is probably closer to the public’s perception of limited. Your thoughts on a postcard please.

June is a good month at the distillery, the lawn between the distillery and the restaurant is filled up with visitors most days and the 10 acres of walks down to the river start to get used in earnest. It is lovely to see so many visitors using the place. My mother’s retirement project is the development of these acres into an interesting and pleasant place to play. With this in mind, more sculptures have been installed, lots of new trees have been planted and more areas are now mowed to allow picnic space etc. Whilst we don’t allow dogs in the restaurant, we do allow them on the lawns and river walk and in the outside seating areas.

July always seems to be a quiet month in the world of whisky, so time is spent planning new projects – and this year’s was the building of Warehouse 4. Space for another 4000 casks of whisky.. All a bit of a rush to see if we can get a grant out of Europe before the door is shut permanently. The design looks good and the planning department seem enthusiastic – phew.

August resulted in one of my more surreal moments. I visited Stringfellows to discuss our whisky, having met the owner a few weeks earlier. Rather too sensibly I visited before opening time. So, sitting in the famous gold throne drinking a mug of tea with Scott Stringfellow and his lovely mum I got to watch the first act of the night. I am not sure drinking tea with someone’s mum is how everyone experiences Stringfellow, especially as I didn’t know where to look most of the time. A night I shall not forget.

September and it is back to work in earnest with export markets growing and an extraordinary growth in enthusiasm for our Nog and PX. I already know we aren’t going to have enough to make it to Christmas – this is a nice problem. It is also the anniversary of The Kitchen, our distillery restaurant. We celebrated by handing over the kitchen to the famous chef Richard Bainbridge and his crew who cooked a superb meal for our members and other guests. Richard did an amazing job resulting in a great night for all.

October: We sadly have to say goodbye to Julian, who has commendably run the new shop and restaurant since it was built. We wish him well in his new role and welcome Lee to take over and hopefully do the job so well, I feel redundant. Mike our head of Sales has done a great job this year and this month we see orders going to most corners of the globe, as well as increasing sales in the UK. Please do email us if your local wine / booze shop doesn’t stock our whisky. We will try to make it happen.

November: Wow – Christmas has started already. Web orders quietly ramp up and by the middle of November you are all proving to be very loyal customers – thank you. Most days we have 2 people just packing orders. The Christmas decorations go up and the nights draw in. I like this time of year as I get to light the fire in the evenings and mow the lawn less often. Breckland Lodge re-opened this month, completely re-built and lovelier than ever, what a relief; definitely worth a visit if you need somewhere to stay or eat locally.

December – here we are again, kids only have a few days left of school and the online orders are slowing down. Christmas parties are happening in the restaurant and there is a sense of relief and jubilation that the year has gone by without too many snags. Oh and you won’t believe it but the Jim Murray voted The Norfolk – Farmers best single malt whisky in Europe for 2019. The 5^th time we have won!

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting us and to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Andrew Nelstrop

Universal Whisky Experience, 1621 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001