Tomintoul

Introduction:

Tomintoul Distillery offers a range of Single Malt Whiskies with various age statements, including 10, 12, 14, 16, and 25 years. The whiskies are known for their smoothness, malty sweetness, and subtle nutty and spicy notes. The distillery also produces special editions like the 12 – year – old Tomintoul Oloroso Sherry Finish and the 15 – year – old Tomintoul Port Wood Finish, which showcase sweet – fruity, berry – like, and dry flavors. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Tomintoul released a limited edition called Tomintoul Five Decades, featuring casks from each decade of their history.

In addition to their non-smoky expressions, Tomintoul now offers heavily peated Single Malts through their Tomintoul Peaty Tang and Old Ballantruan ranges. The Old Ballantruan range features a phenol content of 55 ppm, resulting in a creamy, smooth sweetness complemented by a strong smoke aroma.

Production:

Tomintoul Distillery operates at full capacity, producing 3,300,000 liters per year. Alongside Tomintoul Whisky, the distillery houses a large blending plant with 14 blending tuns for creating the company’s blended whiskies. They also produce inexpensive bulk whisky based on customer orders.

The Mashing:

Tomintoul Distillery chose a location with a reliable water source for their production. The malted barley is mashed in clear, soft water, which is typically unpeated. However, a small amount of heavily peated whisky is produced once a year. The distillery’s mash tun has a capacity of 11.6 tons, and they conduct 15 mash runs per week.

The Fermentation:

Fermentation takes place in six stainless steel mash tuns and lasts approximately 54 hours. After fermentation, the resulting “beer” has an alcohol content of 8 – 9% ABV.

The Distillation:

Tomintoul Distillery operates four pot stills, with an additional pair added in 1974. The middle cut, collected as new spirit, has an alcohol content of 69%. The distillery conserves resources by reusing cooling water to condense the distilled alcohol vapor. The heated water is then used for mash heating and lautering to create a syrup for animal feed.

The Warehouses:

Tomintoul predominantly uses American white oak ex-Bourbon casks for maturing their whisky. They also utilize Oloroso Sherry and Port Wine casks for certain special bottlings. The distillery has six warehouses capable of holding up to 116,000 casks.

History:

Tomintoul Distillery was established in 1965 by W. & S. Strong & Co. and Hay & HacLeod & Co. It was later sold to Scottish & Universal Investment Trust in 1973, who also owned Fettercairn Distillery and Whyte & Mackay blending company. Whyte & Mackay took over administration of Tomintoul and made renovations, including adding a second pair of pot stills. In 2000, Angus Dundee Ltd. acquired Tomintoul Distillery along with Glencadam Distillery. Angus Dundee Ltd. produces their own Single Malt brands, blends, and bulk whisky for other companies.

Visitor Centre:

Tomintoul Distillery does not have a visitor center, and access to the premises is by appointment only. However, guided tours are offered during the Speyside Whisky Festivals, and it is advisable to make reservations in advance.

Tomintoul Distillery
Ballindalloch,
Banffshire
AB37 9AQ
Phone: +44 (0)1807 590 274
Fax: +44 (0)1807 590 342

Visitor information:

Tomintoul Distillery
Ballindalloch,
Banffshire
AB37 9AQ
Telefon: +44 (0)1807 – 590 274
Email: rfleming@tomintouldistiller.co.uk
Robert Fleming, Master Distiller