The Tomatin distillery is a Highland distillery established in 1897 in the town of Tomatin, south of Inverness. Its water is sourced from Alt-na-Frith Burn and it has gone through periods of wax and wane, having stills added and dismantled, to have a current capacity of around 5m liters of alcohol per year, most of which goes into blends like Antiquary and Talisman. It also bottles single malts ranging from 12 to 36 years old, as well as single casks.
Shinanoya is an established fine foods and grocery chain in Japan famed for its bottlings of elegant yet intensely flavored spirits, specifically selected for the sophisticated palate. Shinanoya bottlings are sought after worldwide and often highly valued for their rarity and superior quality.
Specially selected for Shinanoya, this single cask #36504 was filled on the 29th June 1984 and aged 31 years before bottling on the 4th February 2016. One of only 682 bottles. Tasting notes from the producer:
Nose: Crunchy green apples and pears. Herbaceous, coriander and cardamon. Haystacks, honeycomb. Develops into goldern honey with time. Buttered scones.
Palate: Light and delicate initially but with increasing intensity. Malted milk and haystacks. Beeswax. Pear drops. Eucalyptus hovering in the background.
Finish: Clean, crisp and fresh.
ABV: 44%
Fill level: Good
With box?: Yes
Bottle #80 of 682