Tomatin Decades II Single Malt Scotch Whisky - 70cl
Twenty-one casks, five decades, one bottle. Decades II is Tomatin's second attempt at bottling its own history, a marriage of casks reaching back to the 1970s and forward to spirit laid down in 2009. Just 3,600 bottles were released, filled at 46%, and the make-up reads like a walk through the distillery's archive.
Tomatin sits high in the hills south of Inverness, firmly in the Highlands, and was once among the largest malt distilleries in Scotland. Decades II draws that scale into a single glass: refill bourbon hogsheads holding whisky from 1973, 1975 and 1977, first-fill oloroso sherry butts from 1988, first-fill bourbon barrels from 1995, and recharred verdejo wine casks from 2000 and 2009. Blending across that spread of ages and wood types is a real feat of balance, and the point of a bottling like this is not any single cask but the way they knit together.
The nose leads with sweet pastry and wood shavings, cooked fruit and a soft floral coconut note. The palate turns richer, Christmas cake and malt syrup, red berries, tropical fruit and a waxy edge that speaks to the older stock. The finish carries Christmas cake and maple syrup into a long, tropical fade. It is layered enough to reward slow drinking, and a few drops of water help lift the fruit without thinning the whole. A whisky to sit with rather than rush.
How to Serve
Neat first, in a Glencairn, then a little water to open the tropical notes. A tulip glass works nicely too.
Where to Drink It
Artesian at The Langham, for a considered pour. The Connaught Bar, if you want it done properly. Black Rock in Shoreditch, to talk through those five decades.
Food Pairings
Toasted almonds and a wedge of aged Gouda suit it after dinner, or a plate of cured ham if you would rather lean savoury.
