Tomatin Whisky Distillery

History of Tomatin

Tomatin, meaning “Hill of the Juniper Bush”, is a small village near Inverness. Distillation began in this area in the 16th century, but it was illegal until 1823. ‘Old Laird’s House’, a house that still remains on the grounds today, is believed to be the location of an early illicit still, where cattle drovers would stop to fill their flask when taking their livestock to market.

Finally, in 1897, the site became an officially operating distillery, during the peak of the Victorian whisky boom. From here, Tomatin Distillery was born. Due to its remote location, a number of houses were built on-site for the distillery workers to live in.

The distillery has changed ownership several times and at one point it was the biggest distillery in Scotland. In 1986, two Japanese companies, Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co, bought the site. Switching focus from scale to quality, Tomatin entered its most successful era of whisky production.

Today, 80% of the Tomatin workforce still live in distillery houses on-site, making it more than a job. They state it is a ‘way of life’ and ‘every bottle of whisky we make is distilled with pride’.