Overview

Visiting distilleries conjures up thoughts of ladders, platforms and peering down in to big steel vats. So, Tomatin’s approach to accessible discovery was refreshing and fun!

Transport & Parking

Tomatin Distillery is set a short distance from the main Inverness to Perth (A9) road and is some sixteen or so miles south of Inverness. Interestingly, you also get a great view from the train as the railway passes on a viaduct above the whisky sheds. The majestic entrance with its stone walled branding leads you along a single track roadway that starts ascending the hillside. A burn flows rapidly on your left and the grey imposing structures of the whisky bonds are on your right. Passing under an archway of the railway viaduct above the cottages and houses of the distillery village come in to view. A sweeping turn to the left and a bridge across the burn your roll into the distillery yards. Disabled motorists can park in one of the two accessible parking bays adjacent to the visitor centre building. The main car parking is just a short distance around the corner in the shelter of one fo the whisky stores.

Access

From the car parking area or the accessible bays head for the visitor centre. The single story, bungalow like, building has a ramp to the front door. Once inside you’re struck by the sudden transformation into a wooden floored and panelled style space. A large lobby area leads off to the mini cinema, the toilets, and the reception where staff offer a cheery welcome. The visitor centre is both the start and end of your tour. It houses a whisky tasting area, shop, cinema room, and the welcome desk. It’s here that the tours begin and typically take just over an hour to meander though the whisky experience as you move from building to building. If you have a mobility impairment just let the staff know, as we did, and they’ll modify the route to avoid steps and stairs. We were surprised at how much we got to see and how close we could get to things. We were able to see inside one of the old mash tuns where it had been cut open for a side view - for us more enjoyable and meaningful than peering in at the top. We wheeled into the warmth of the still room where the enormous copper stills were working their magic. No matter how many times you see stills in action they mighty presence and copper colour leave you in awe of how they can produce such whisky spirit. From here we went to the filling area where folk were busy filling the casks ready for their long sojourn in the whisky bonds. The casks were enormous and we were surprised to find that Tomatin had its own coopers on site who tended to the casks getting them ready for use. The casks came from different sources and their previous uses had an impact on the colour and flavour of the whisky they would contain. We visited one of the whisky stores and saw casks lined up and passing time. The occasional top up being administered as the “Angel’s Share” reduced the amount in the cask. The brightly coloured cask ends each telling their own story. Through all of the tour we were able to wheel from area to area quite easily and enjoy seeing everything. Our tour ended in back in the visitor centre with the offer of a tasting.

Toilets

The distillery visitor centre had toilet facilities, including an accessible toilet. The accessible toilet was spacious, clean and well appointed.

Staff

The staff in the visitor centre were simply amazingly with their knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing the Tomatin story. The seamless way we were guided without having the worry about steps and stairs was a great experience and left us able to enjoy our visit to the full just like everyone else. Unfortunately the stars only go to five but these folks deserve five stars plus!

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The visitor centre has a cinema room where those who may not fancy the hour’s walk around the facility can see a video showing highlight from the tours.

Photos