The vast majority of the whisky made at Tomatin was sold in bulk to third party companies and was used in many famous blended whiskies such as J&B, Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker. The success and size of Tomatin was, however, also its demise with the bust of the 1980s – retail sales of blended whisky decreased, and so did demand for Tomatin, forcing the company into liquidation for a second time.

In the 20 years prior to going into liquidation the growing export of Scotch Whisky meant that Tomatin’s biggest customer was Japan’s largest drinks producer-Takara Shuzo Ltd. As Tomatin was forced into liquidation in 1984, Takara Shuzo joined forces with the respected trading company Okura and purchased the distillery, forming the Tomatin Distillery Company Ltd and thus creating the first fully Japanese owned Scottish distillery in 1986.

Since that time, the focus has changed and the distillery has gone from strength to strength. There has been a change in strategy to grow the Tomatin brand in its own right. The range of single malts is currently sold in over 50 export markets, with additional markets being added all the time. We have gone from the biggest, to the best.