Tomatin ( gd, Tom Aitinn) is a small village on the

River Findhorn The River Findhorn (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Fionn Èireann) is one of the longest rivers in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the Moray Firth on the north coast. It has one of the largest non-firth estuaries in Scotland. The riv ...

in Strathdearn in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

, about southeast of the city of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

. The name derives from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

name ''Tom Aitinn'' (hill of juniper). The river Findhorn rises at Coignafearn, a large game estate near Tomatin, and then passes through Tomatin village itself. The village has a shop, school and village hall and is most known for its

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

distillery. At the 2001 census, Tomatin had a population of 183. Many of the inhabitants are employed by local farms and estates, while others commute to Inverness and surrounding towns. Tomatin has been bypassed by the A9 since 1976.

The Tomatin Distillery

Tomatin is perhaps best known for being the home of Tomatin

which, with its 23 stills, was the largest malt distillery in Scotland during the 1970s. Although it is thought that whisky has been distilled on the site since the 16th century, when cattle drovers would buy from a local still, the distillery was not established until 1897 under the name of Tomatin Spey Distillery Co Ltd. In 1986 it was taken over by Japanese conglomerate

Takara Shuzo is a Japanese company based in Kyoto. The company is mainly involved in the production of beverages, food, printing and medical supplies. Divisions Takara Bio Clontech Laboratories was acquired from BD Biosciences in 2005. In 2007, Clontech wa ...

and was renamed The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd. The number of stills has since been reduced to 12. The distillery was the first in Scotland to install a wood pellet boiler (2012).

Local facilities

Facilities in the village include a general store, primary school and village hall that is used for a number of social activities. Local estates generate a significant income by attracting wealthy businessmen to take part in grouse shooting; the shooting season begins on 12 August of each year, which is known as the

Glorious Twelfth The Glorious Twelfth is the twelfth day of August, the start of the shooting season for red grouse (''Lagopus lagopus scotica''), and to a lesser extent the ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is one of the bu ...

. The village was served by Tomatin railway station from 1897 to 1965. In late 2010, the £185,000 Strathdearn Community Centre & Sports Facility was opened by local resident and

shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...

player,

Kevin Thain Kevin Thain (born 1969) is a Scottish shinty player from the village of Tomatin. He has played almost his whole career for Kingussie Camanachd and has been an integral part of its success since the mid-1980s. Playing career Thain announced his a ...

Tomatin United

Tomatin United plays in the Strathspey and Badenoch Welfare Football Association, playing its home matches at Raigbeg School. The team is made up of locals from 15 years and up. The team is well supported by the local community and receives sponsorship from a local business.

References

External links

* *
Strathdearn community website
{{River Findhorn Populated places in Inverness committee area