For only 1 week a year, the legendary Tomatin Distillery distils from lightly-peated barley and to produce a MULTI-AWARD WINNING, 12 year old single malt matured in RUM CASKS from Guyana and Barbados. For the FIRST TIME in Australia you get to feast your whisky taste buds on the Cù Bòcan 12yo Caribbean Rum Cask!
- Best Scottish Single Malt (12yo and under) – World Whiskies Awards 2024
- Gold – San Francisco World Spirit Competition 2024
Make way Australia for the VERY LIMITED Cù Bòcan 12yo Caribbean Rum Cask – a whisky peated by name, but hardly by nature – from the Highland Tomatin Distillery. We’re stoked to introduce the very first batch of the Cù Bòcan Caribbean Rum Cask to the Aussie market.
Now, what do you do if you’re a Highland whisky brand who’s light and fruity whisky is ‘their brand’ but want to make some peated whisky without alienating their established customers? Well, one way to do it is to sell your peated whisky under an entirely different brand name – and this is exactly what Tomatin Distillery had done with Cù Bòcan. Starting in 2013, for one week every year in winter, Tomatin distils wash made from lightly peated barley and [eventually- once matured] sells this peated under the ‘Cù Bòcan’ brand name.
In between the distilling and the bottling – as we all know – is the maturation stage, and it’s here that Cù Bòcan really sets out on its own journey. Cù Bòcan is more than just Tomatin’s peated alter-ego. The name ” Cù Bòcan” translates to “Ghost Dog” in Gaelic, inspired by a local Highland legend of a spectral hound that has roamed the area for centuries. The brands motto is ‘Unlock the Unusual’ and it does so by maturing in a variety of casks interesting casks to unlock unusual flavours.
Now, we all probably know that there has recently been another Caribbean Rum Cask finish release from a famous Islay distillery – pitched by a pretty famous face, and recently offered by another whisky club. The Cù Bòcan though is a much, much less peated base spirit than that other one allowing way more of the fruit and vanilla of the final product to shine – and certainly allowing more of the rum casks influence to push through. In fact, there’s actually very, very little of the peat making itself known in this whisky.
The Cù Bòcan 12yo Caribbean Rum Cask Batch #1 was made form lightly peated Scottish barely. Initially matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks, it was finished for 9 months in casks from un-named rum distilleries from Guyana and Barbados (so I’m thinking Diamond Distillery and Foursquare casks, perhaps?) and bottled at 46%abv. This is the very first batch of this delicious whisky and is exclusive in Australia to the Single Malt Whisky Club.
Now we love our ‘world whiskies’ here at the Single Malt Whisky Club, but it’s always nice to return to the birthplace of single malt whisky – especially when it’s a lesser-known brand with an interesting story. Of course, we’re even more interested in the whisky itself… so it’s nice when the planets align and we can get a lesser known Scottish whisky, well over a decade old, not to mention one with such a flavour profile that’s both familiar, and a little bit unusual – and definitely easy to dram!
OUR TASTING NOTES
Nose: At first a musty malt aroma but a definite hint of Caribbean ‘rum funk’ there with a sweet, overripe tropical fruit salad note, hot-summer-nights summer jasmine flowers plus just a tiny pinch of sweet polyethene glue note in the very peripheries.
Palate: Rather dry on the palate at first with medium ginger heat curtain that parts to allow crisp green apple and tart-sweet pineapple, candied citrus rind and vanilla.
Finish: A rather crisp and clean finish. There’s just the smallest suggestion of smoke there at the end, but the fadeout is mostly those fruity notes again.
Look, this is a peated whisky to be sure – I mean, it says so on the label right! Right? But I think it’s about as close to the line as a whisky can be and still look at itself in the mirror when it calls itself peated. There are certainly no burnt rubber notes, no hospital iodine and band aids, no tar, oil or bitumen in this. If you ‘don’t like peated whisky’ you can still love this one. It’s fruity, it’s crisp and clean on the palate, light and delicious whisky– not an oily, heavy, ‘feels like getting lung cancer’ peated whisky. Interestingly though – for some reason the peat effect seems to be magnified by a smokey-cokey (peated whisky and coke) if that’s your thing! But neat – this is a light, fruity and easy drinking whisky that I think is perfect now the warm weather has taken hold.
What better way to back up a 12 year old Scottish Peated Malt of the Month, than with a $99 Scottish ‘Mystery Malt’!
FROM TOMATION
Whisky matured in rum casks can be incredible, but rum casks are notorious for their variable quality and securing a consistent supply is almost impossible. Therefore, this permanent addition to the Cù Bòcan range will be released in batches. With each batch we will explore casks from across the Caribbean, each with their own unique origin, history, and influence.
Batch #1, distilled on the 10th of December 2010, has been finished in a mix of rum casks from Guyana and Barbados. These islands are known for the use of molasses and pot still distillation. Producers in Barbados, regarded by many as the birthplace of rum, blend pot still and column still rums making the island worthy of its reputation for well-aged, balanced expressions. The casks sourced from Barbados provide a range of fresh tropical fruits and invigorating maritime notes. Known for the famed Demerara River, Guyana is home to some of the fullest bodied rums in the Caribbean. These casks have added more depth and warming spice.
Thanks to our lightly peated barley, every Cù Bòcan holds our signature wisp of smoke. That’s why each edition is an exploration in the subtleties of smoke, the characters of the casks and the mastery of maturation.
Cù Bòcan 12yo transports us to long Scottish summer nights, spent with friends by a campfire on the beach. Finished in Caribbean rum casks, Cù Bòcan 12yo is fresh with grilled pineapple, ginger, and white chocolate.
ABOUT TOMATIN
Tomatin Distillery was established in 1897 in the Scottish Highlands, a region known for producing diverse whisky styles. In its early days, Tomatin was a relatively small operation, but it grew quickly in the 20th century. By the 1970s, it became one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, supplying malt whisky for blends. However, following industry challenges in the 1980s, including a decline in demand for Scotch, Tomatin faced financial difficulties and became the first Scottish distillery to be taken over by a Japanese company, Takara Shuzo, in 1986. Despite this, Tomatin has continued to thrive, transitioning from a focus on blends to producing high-quality single malts, which have gained recognition globally.
The creation of Cù Bòcan in 2013 marked an innovative shift for Tomatin. Inspired by a local Highland legend about a spectral hound named Cù Bòcan, this new series embodies both tradition and experimentation. While Tomatin is known for its unpeated Highland single malts, Cù Bòcan introduced a lightly peated whisky—a departure from their usual style. The brand takes its name from a ghostly hound said to roam the area around the distillery, and this sense of mystery complements the series’ experimental ethos, particularly in its creative cask maturation, using unusual casks like Japanese oak, Moroccan Cabernet Sauvignon, and North American rye.
Tomatin’s approach to both its traditional and innovative whiskies reflect its adaptability and forward-thinking spirit. While the core Tomatin range offers classic Highland characteristics like fruity, malty flavours, the Cù Bòcan series pushes boundaries with a blend of smoke and unexpected cask influences. This combination of heritage and innovation has helped Tomatin regain its position as a respected producer of single malts, appealing to both whisky traditionalists and adventurous drinkers alike.
