Tomatin bottles whisky for Belladrum

Highland distillery Tomatin has released a 20-year-old whisky for Belladrum Tartan Heart to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Founded in 2004, the music and arts festival takes place annually at Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity, Scotland. This year’s edition is happening between 25-27 July.

To honour the festival, Tomatin has matured a whisky for more than two decades in first-fill oloroso Sherry casks. Additionally, the festival’s designer Michale Forbes has created the label for the bottle, which is a tribute to this year’s theme of ‘love’.

Dougie Brown, producer of Belladrum, said: “We are delighted that Tomatin is marking our 20th anniversary with this very special bottling of a rare single cask.

“The Tomatin Bothy has been one of the highlights of the festival for many years now featuring their award-winning whisky, pop-up sessions from artists, and of course their incredible cocktails.”

The whisky’s notes range from ‘spice and burnt orange, a mix of cinnamon, clove, ginger and flamed orange peel’ to ‘baked bananas drizzled in rich caramel sauce with an underlying oaky character’ on the nose. Then on the palate, drinkers may discover black tea-like tannins and flavours of dried apricot and mango that bring flavours similar to peach iced tea.

The finish is described as ‘dry, spicy and fruity’.

There are 153 bottles of the whisky available, which retail for £300 (US$382) with a 49% ABV. These can be purchased from the Tomatin visitor centre, website and a handful of local retailers.

Recently, Tomatin revived its blended Scotch brand The Antiquary.