Tomintoul Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask Finish (700 ml)

Founded in 1964 by Glasgow whisky traders Hay & Macleod and W. & S. Strong, Tomintoul spent its first 35 years almost entirely as anonymous blending stock — a paradox for a distillery running 3.3 million litres annually. The Pedro Ximénez finish is among the most assertive moves in its cask programme, layering the distillery's deliberately light new make with one of sherry's most viscous, sugar-saturated wood types.

Situated at 345 m altitude in the Livet Glen within Cairngorms National Park, the distillery draws water from the Ballantruan Spring in the Cromdale Hills — exceptionally soft and pure, a direct architect of the featherweight spirit that makes PX finishing so legible: there is little structural weight to compete with the cask's contribution.

The base spirit is produced from unpeated malted barley, collected at approximately 69% ABV off steam-heated pot stills, with fermentation running 54–60 hours in stainless-steel washbacks. Primary maturation proceeds in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks, after which the spirit enters Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for its finish — PX being the sweetest, most concentrated wood in Tomintoul's finishing arsenal, which also spans Oloroso, Madeira, port, Pinot Noir, and Tempranillo.

What distinguishes this expression is the tension between the distillery's signature low-weight, high-reflux spirit and PX's near-syrup density — a deliberate mismatch that produces saturation without the structural tannin grip of Oloroso. Drink now through the medium term; no age statement, bottled at 40% ABV with chill filtration.