Experimental single malt brand Cù Bòcan is breaking new ground in the industry, producing the first known peated Scotch to be matured in ice wine casks. Crafted annually at Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands during the cold winter months, Cù
Known for its experimental and innovative approach to maturation, Cù Bòcan has unlocked a new level of intrigue with the release of Creation #8. This latest release explores a never seen before dual cask maturation, using a combination of rare Canadian ice wine casks and high-quality Spanish Verdejo casks, a pairing which results in a unique flavour profile of fruit salad sweets, lime zest, earthy smoke and soft oak spice.
Ice wine is a sweet dessert wine made from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine before harvesting. The grapes are pressed at around –7°C, when the water inside has crystalised, leaving a small amount of highly concentrated sugary juice. For this expression, Cù Bòcan
The 18-year-old spirit from the ice wine casks brings notes of apricot jam, candied peach and pineapple syrup to the Creation #8 single malt, alongside its unmistakable light, oak spice, while the Verdejo casks have allowed the bold citrus, herbal and grassy characteristics of the wine to be expressed in the 16-year-old spirit
Jamie Muir, Distillery Manager at Tomatin, said: “Our Cù Bòcan Creations
“Equally the Verdejo casks and the experimental decision to fill them shortly after emptying, have also introduced a vibrant citrus and herbal dimension, the blend of these two cask types make Creation #8 a truly surprising dram.” Cù Bòcan’s Creation #8 packaging debuts a striking new colourway of electric purple and neon green, reflecting the individuality of the spirit within its bespoke twisted bottle. Its engraved contours echo both the wisp of Cù Bòcan’s signature smoke and the staves of the casks that shaped it.
Bottled at 46% ABV, Creation #8 is natural in colour and non-chill filtered. It is available to purchase from today (20th May) on Tomatin Distillery’s website and from specialist whisky retailers in the UK and worldwide, priced at £45. It is limited to only 3,600 bottles.
Cù Bòcan Creation #8 tasting notes
Nose: Sweet fruit with gentle smoke woven through. Baked apples, poached pears, apricot jam, golden raisins, candied peach, orange blossom, honey syrup, citrus zest, hint of fennel and herbs, heather smoke, flamed lemon peel, almond pastry and light spice.
Taste: Silky and sweet then turning fresher and slightly smoky. Honeycomb, peach, apricot, candied citrus peel, pineapple syrup, marmalade, lime zest, green grape, grassy, whisp of earthy smoke through the fruit.
Finish: Sweet wine and fruit fading into smoky honey, citrus peel and soft oak spice.
Cù Bòcan
Cù Bòcan is a Highland single malt distilled, matured, and produced at the Tomatin Distillery near Inverness, renowned for its portfolio of brands including Tomatin Highland single malt, The Antiquary, Talisman and Big T.
Peat has been part of Tomatin’s story since its founding in 1897, when the distillery drew on local supplies to fire its stills. Though production shifted to an unpeated style mid-century, Tomatin revived peated runs in 2005 — sparking the birth of Cù Bòcan.
In 2005, the decision was made to produce a peated single malt and for the last week of production that year a batch of optic barley peated to 15ppm was used to produce about 60,000 litres of lightly peated spirit which was filled into a variety of different cask types.
Then, on September 3rd 2013, this lightly peated whisky produced at Tomatin was released as Cù Bòcan – a single malt at 15ppm matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and virgin oak casks. Since then, the Cù Bòcan brand has grown with a number of vintage releases as part of the brand’s limited-edition collection.
Cù Bòcan – ‘ghost dog’ in Gaelic – is named after a spirit thought to haunt the distillery’s hometown of Tomatin.
Cù Bòcan rebranded in August 2019. It is an experimental Highland single malt that explores innovative maturation to create whiskies full of intrigue and surprise. It is made with lightly peated Scottish barley, distilled every winter in limited batches and matured in a variety of interesting casks to unlock unusual flavours.
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