Located just south of Inverness in the village of Tomatin, the distillery had a short initial existence, managing to close after only nine years of production. It was resumed once again in 1909, and throughout the 20th century was rapidly expanded. At its height in the 1970s, the distillery produced an astounding 10 million litres per annum on 23 stills.
However, the heyday was short-lived and the over expansion meant the distillery went into liquidation in the 1980s when the Scotch whisky industry was hit by a massive slump.
It was saved by two of its Japanese clients who had purchased bulk spirit to use in their whiskies, becoming the first Scotch whisky distillery to be owned by a Japanese contingent.
Today, Tomatin is still under ownership by a Japanese firm Takara Shuzo Group with a large proportion of its 5 million litre per annum output still being sent to Japan for use in whiskies there, where it is legal to use imported whiskies in local blends.
The distillery has had an increasingly good wood policy in recent years, making it well respected by single malt lovers who have access to a number of releases under the company’s core range.