The History
Illicit stills are part of the history of whisky distilling in Scotland,
and were widely used in the local hills around Tomatin. As a distilling
site, illicit or otherwise, Tomatin goes back to the 15th Century when drovers
– men who ‘drove’ their cattle to market over high mountain
passes – would fill up their whisky flasks from a still alongside
the Old Laird’s House.
A formal distillery for the making of fine Scotch malt was first built
on the site in 1897 by the Tomatin Spey District Distillery Co Ltd, and
revived in 1909 by the new Tomatin Distillers Co Ltd.
A 20-year expansion programme started in the 1950s saw production rise
to some 12 million litres a year by 1974, making Tomatin the largest capacity
Scotch whisky distillery in the world at the time.
The distillery was acquired by Japanese shareholders in 1986, who established
the current Tomatin Distillery Company Limited, and launched the modern
era of whisky distilling in the Monadhliath Mountains. |
