In 1897, local John MacDougall registered his distillery in the tiny Highland village of Tomatin — a place where at that time simply no one lived, which led the distillery to build its own residential area for its staff from the start. After World War II, Tomatin grew to an unprecedented scale: in 1974, the site had 23 stills and was the largest malt whisky distillery in the world.
In February 1986, Tomatin became the first Scottish distillery to be fully owned by Japanese hands, purchased by Takara Shuzo and Okura & Co. Since 2002, the focus has shifted back to single malt instead of mass production for blends, and since 2016, Tomatin has consciously positioned itself as 'the softer side of the Highlands': light, soft, and fruity, without the smokiness of many other Scottish whiskies.