Tomintoul Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 2 days ago
Tomintoul is a Speyside distillery near the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, in the Cairngorms National Park. Owned by Angus Dundee Distillers, it bottles single malts under the tagline "the gentle dram" and holds a Guinness World Record for the largest bottle of whisky.
In this guide
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Tomintoul at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Location | Near Tomintoul, Speyside |
Region | Speyside, Scotland |
Founded / established | 1960s |
Owner | Angus Dundee Distillers |
Bottles documented | 5 named expressions in Whisky Clan's bottle database |
Visiting | See visitor information in the original research below. Check official opening and booking details before travelling. |
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Tomintoul history, people and production
A founding date with two answers
Founding year settled as 1965. Wikipedia gives 1964, but the distillery's own website says it was established in 1965 and The Single Cask also gives 1965. The owner source is treated as the answer here. The distillery was built by two Glasgow whisky trading firms, Hay and MacLeod and W. and S. Strong, trading as the Tomintoul-Glenlivet Distillery Company, per The Single Cask.
Ownership timeline
1973: bought by Scottish and Universal Investment Trust, which added a second pair of steam heated stills the next year, doubling capacity
1974: first bottling of its malt
1989: Scottish and Universal sold to Whyte and Mackay
1990: Whyte and Mackay bought by American Brands, and a 12 year old launched in a distinctive bottle
2000: distillery sold to Angus Dundee
Production
Tomintoul has two wash stills and two spirit stills, all steam heated, with a capacity of 3,300,000 litres of pure alcohol per year. It uses six stainless steel washbacks, three larger and three smaller. Process water comes from the Ballantruan source and cooling water from two nearby ponds.
Master Distiller
Robert Fleming, a fourth generation Speyside distiller, has been custodian of Tomintoul for more than 30 years according to the distillery.
The range
Under Angus Dundee the official bottling became the 10 year old. A 16 year old followed in 2003 and a 27 year old in 2004. In 2005 a peated 1991 vintage, Old Ballantruan, was released at 50% ABV, later followed by a 12 year old Oloroso finish, the Peaty Tang vatting of unpeated and peated malts, and a 1976 vintage.
The current website lists many releases, including a cask finish collection (Cognac, Madeira, Amarone, Port, Pedro Ximenez and others), Tlath, Seiridh, Peated, and a 50 Years Old Robert Fleming Edition marking the master distiller's career.
Records and awards
2009: Guinness World Record for the largest bottle of whisky, holding 105.3 litres of 14 year old Tomintoul
2010: the 33 year old was named best Speyside whisky in the Whiskymag World Whiskies Awards
Visiting Tomintoul
Guided tours run Monday to Friday, with three tour types; the home page says Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, so check the booking page
The shop is open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 16:30
Roads to the distillery are single track
About an hour's drive from Inverness and a little under two hours from Aberdeen
Contact: +44 (0)1807 590 274
Added detail from owner and trade sources
Owner: Angus Dundee Distillers has owned Tomintoul since 2000, confirmed on the distillery website and by The Single Cask. Angus Dundee also owns Glencadam.
Earlier owners (The Single Cask): Scottish and Universal Investments from 1973 and Whyte and Mackay from 1989. A second pair of stills was added in 1974.
Production: four stills, six washbacks, a 54 to 60 hour fermentation and water from the Ballantruan spring. One heavily peated batch of about 55ppm is run each year and sold as Old Ballantruan.
Range on the distillery website: Tlath, Peated, Seiridh, a Cask Finish collection, and aged expressions including 10, 14, 16, 21 and 25 year olds, a 40 year old and a 50 year old Robert Fleming Edition. ABVs are not shown there, so current strengths are not verified.
Awards: The Single Cask says the 33 year old was named best Speyside whisky at the World Whiskies Awards in 2010 and the 16 year old won an ISC gold medal in 2021.
Tours: the distillery home page says tours run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The Single Cask says Monday to Friday. Book through the distillery. Prices are not verified.
Shop: The Single Cask lists Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm. Distillery phone: +44 (0)1807 590 274. Final approach is by single track road.
Strengths from Whiskybase
Whiskybase lists the Tomintoul 10 Year Old at 40% ABV (700ml). Other expressions in the current range are not verified, as the distillery website shows no strengths.
Tomintoul whisky bottle range and cask comparison
Here are named expressions documented from producer or specialist sources, including the available age and ABV. A missing strength is deliberately left as 'Check bottle' rather than estimated.
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Tomintoul 10 Year Old | 10 years | 40% | American oak maturation |
Tomintoul 14 Year Old | 14 years | 46% | American oak barrels |
Tomintoul 16 Year Old | 16 years | 40% | Mature oak whisky |
Tomintoul 25 Year Old | 25 years | Check bottle | Older oak-matured expression |
Tomintoul Peaty Tang | NAS | 40% | Peated Tomintoul single malt |
Featured bottle: Tomintoul 10 Year Old
Regular and rare releases are distinguished in the Whisky Bottles database; a historical catalogue listing does not prove current availability.
More distilleries in Speyside Scotland
Read about other producers in this region.
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Frequently asked questions about Tomintoul
Who owns Tomintoul?
Angus Dundee Distillers.
Where does the water come from?
The Ballantruan spring.
Can I tour it?
Yes, guided tours are bookable through the distillery.
Who owns Tomintoul Distillery?
Tomintoul is owned by Angus Dundee Distillers.
Where is Tomintoul Distillery?
Tomintoul is in Near Tomintoul, Speyside, Scotland.
Sources and photographic credits
Tomintoul official website (tomintoulwhisky.com home and tours pages) and Wikipedia (Tomintoul distillery).
Added 20 October 2026: tomintoulwhisky.com home page (1965, owner, range, tours), The Single Cask Tomintoul guide (builders, owners, production, shop hours, awards).
Added 20 October 2026: Whiskybase search listing for Tomintoul 10 Year Old (40% ABV).
Featured photograph: original credited image from the Whisky Clan distillery media library. If you own this image and would like the attribution updated, please contact Whisky Clan.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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