Tomintoul

Distillery & brand

Situated on the banks of the Spey’s main tributary, the Avon (pronounced A’an), and taking its name from Scotland’s highest village nearby, Tomintoul is another 1960s distillery whose make has only recently been more widely seen as single malt.

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Tomintoul distillery

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Starting life as a small site with two stills, the number has since doubled. Its style also appears to have shifted on at least two occasions from the overtly fruity manifestations of its earliest guise to a more cereal-accented make in recent years. A peated variant, bottled as Old Ballantruan, is also now part of the portfolio. Its growing presence in the malt category will hopefully convince more people of its undoubted quality.

Region

Speyside
Production type

Single malt
Distillery Status

Working
Brands produced here

Old Ballantruan

Tomintoul History

The distillery was built in 1965 by a pair of whisky-broking firms, Hay & MacLeod and W. & S. Strong, before being folded into the Whyte & Mackay stable in 1973. It remained part of the blending firm until 2000 when it was purchased by Angus Dundee where it performs dual functions as provider of mature spirit for contract blends and under its own guise.

Timeline

1965 The distillery is built by Hay & MacLeod and W&S Strong
1973 Scottish & Universal Investment Trust buys both Tomtintoul and Whyte & Mackay, merging the former in with the latter
1974 Tomintoul's capacity is extended from two to four stills
1978 Scottish & Universal Investment Trust is bought by Lonhro
1989 Whyte & Mackay is sold to Brent Walker
1990 American Brands purchases Whyte & Mackay
2000 Angus Dundee acquires Tomintoul
2002 Tomintoul 10 Year Old is released
2005 A peated version named Old Ballantruan is launched

Tomintoul Facts

Capacity (mlpa) i

3.4
Condenser Type i

3 multipass and 1 shell and tube
Fermentation Time i

54hrs
Filling Strength i

68.5%
Grist Weight (t) i

11.6
Heat Source i

Steam kettles
Malt Specification i

No peat for normal spirit production. Phenol for peated malt at 55ppm
Malt Supplier i

Various
Mash Tun Type i

Semi Lauter
New-make Strength i

68.5%
Spirit Still Charge (l) i

11,500
Spirit Still Shape i

Both spirit stills have boil balls
Stills i

4 (2 wash, 2 spirit)
Warehousing i

Racked and palletised
Wash Still Charge (l) i

15,000
Wash Still Shape i

Both wash stills have boil balls
Washback Charge (l) i

59,500
Washback Type i

Stainless steel
Washbacks i

6
Water Source i

Ballantruan Spring
Yeast Type i

Distiller's yeast