Tomatin 25 Year

The Tomatin Distillery was once the largest distillery in Scotland, operating twenty-three stills in the early-1980s and producing a whopping twelve million liters annually (compare that to Glenfiddich, who produces ten million liters annually), most of which was destined for blends. This excess, while impressive, was a poor choice at the time. In contrast to today's booming whisky market, the unforgiving ebb of the mid- to late-twentieth century almost added Tomatin to the list of closed distilleries that folded during that time (Glenfiddich actually was the first to export Scotch whisky as a "Single Malt" during that time, in hopes of bucking the trend). Indeed, the distillery was forced to cut production in 1986, entering a spiral of divestment that lasted for almost two decades. In 2000, a Japanese trading firm, Marubeni, bought the distillery and revitalized the brand in conjunction with another Japanese firm. The Twenty-Five Year label, introduced in 2005, came as the revival was getting into swing, garnering international attention and renown for the distillery. This whisky was matured in refill Bourbon barrels for over a quarter of a century, and represents the true debut of Tomatin on the international scene. Bottled at 43% ABV.