Tomatin revives The Antiquary

Highland distillery Tomatin has relaunched its blended Scotch brand The Antiquary with a trio of whiskies.

The Antiquary is one of Scotland’s oldest whisky brands, originally set up in 1888 by John and William Hardie. The name is inspired by a Sir Walter Scott gothic novel and the brand was purchased by Tomatin in 1996.

The new range of whiskies consists of The Antiquary 15 Year Old, The Antiquary 21 Year Old and The Antiquary 30 Year Old. Each is made using a blend of Highland and Speyside malts with Lowland grains.

The 15-year-old was finished in Bordeaux red wine claret casks and has notes of ‘mahogany, polished leather and pipe tobacco’ on the nose, with ‘rhubarb, tamarind, raspberry coulis and vanilla’ on the palate.

The 21-year-old gets its ‘distinctive’ flavour from tawny Port casks sourced from Symington Family Estates in Portugal, and is said to include aromas of ‘hessian, cut hay, burning heather and dark mocha’, and ‘spiced plum, wild strawberries, dark chocolate and orange’ on the palate.

Lastly, the 30-year-old was matured for more than three years in Sherry casks sourced from Jerez in Spain. Its profile features ‘tropical fruits with hints of smoked bacon and aged timber’ on the nose, with a finish of ‘beeswax and heather honey’.

All three expressions are bottled at 40% ABV.

Scott Adamson, blender and global brand ambassador for Tomatin, said: “Although Tomatin is a modest producer in today’s terms, it was once the biggest distillery in the world, and we are very fortunate to have a vast collection of incredibly high-quality whiskies from around Scotland.

“This provided us with a fantastic arsenal to work with when it came to the creation of these three new releases for this important milestone in The Antiquary’s history.

“J&W Hardie was passionate about working with the finest whiskies and understood the complexity of cask maturation, all with intricate attention to detail. Our work has been inspired by these traits but looking at it through a new lens to appeal to self-expressionists inspired by history.

“The blends have enjoyed unusually long marriages, using casks that bring plenty of character to this exciting new era for The Antiquary.”

Each whisky is presented in new packaging that combines classic and contemporary designs. The bottle echoes antiques of the Victorian and Edwardian eras and ‘accentuates the brand’s vintage style with a modern edge’.

The range is available on the distillery’s website, Amazon and specialist retailers. The 15-year-old retails for £45 (US$56), the 21-year-old for £100 (US$126) and the 30-year-old for £275 (US$348).

Derek Scott, Tomatin distillery marketing director, added: “Following in the footsteps of J&W Hardie’s legacy, we continue its passion for curiosity and invention. We know how much the whisky landscape is changing and, with the steady revival of blends, it feels like the ideal time to give The Antiquary brand a new lease of life.

“Scott and the team have developed an exciting premium range to bring to market, which is enhanced by the distinct and bold packaging design that appeals to today’s consumers. This launch is a call to those who enjoy nostalgia and exploring their own style, which we hope inspires them to enjoy The Antiquary.”

Recently, Tomatin added a limited edition single malt to its Cù Bòcan Scotch whisky range.