Cù Bòcan, Gaelic for “ghost dog which takes its name from a spectral hound said to haunt the village of Tomatin, has just released Creation #9, its oldest and potentially most unique expression to date in its limited-edition Creations series. A lightly peated Highland single malt built around a flavour you would normally find in a cinema, sweet and salty popcorn!
Distilled each winter in small batches at Tomatin Distillery near Inverness, Cù Bòcan has made a habit of pushing peated whisky into unexpected territory, and the ninth Creation does it with an unusual pairing of casks. The larger share of the spirit spent more than 17 years in American virgin oak, a cask rarely used for such a long maturation, which has built up deep layers of vanilla, honey and caramel. The rest of it spent 13 years in refill hogsheads before a four-and-a-half-year finish in Manzanilla sherry casks.
Manzanilla is the pale, bone-dry sherry of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Cádiz coast, and its casks carry a natural salinity that brings salted caramel, toasted almond and a coastal freshness to the spirit. On the nose, vanilla and honey sit alongside salted popcorn, toasted almonds and a touch of sea air, warmed by cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa. The palate opens with bright lemon zest and crisp orchard fruit over toasted oak and gentle spice, before a long, dry finish with a subtle maritime edge.
Jamie Muir, Distillery Manager at Tomatin, said: “Creation #9 set out to prove that patience pays off in the most unexpected ways. The American virgin oak has given the single malt its deep, sweet backbone, but it’s the Manzanilla sherry cask that elevates the expression, bringing in the salty, savoury edge that balances all the sweetness. The result is one of the most unexpected flavours we’ve crafted. It’s exactly the kind of discovery that makes the Creations series so exciting, and the perfect excuse for a movie
night.”
Cù Bòcan Creation #9 is bottled at 46% ABV, natural in colour and non-chill filtered, and is limited to 3,800 bottles globally, its available now from Tomatin Distillery and specialist whisky retailers in the UK and worldwide.
