Tamnavulin

Its name is Gaelic for 'mill on the hill', partly after an old wool carding mill on the site.^1,2,3 In 1978 Hawker Siddeley bought Carlton Industries, which held 76% of Invergordon Distillers.^3,7 In 1988 managers bought out Hawker Siddeley's shares, and 15% of the shares went to staff.^3,7 In 1993, after a two-year hostile takeover, Whyte & Mackay, then owned by American Brands, bought Invergordon Distillers and its distilleries for £382,000,000.^2,3,4

In February 1995 the distillery manager was R Fleming.² Whyte & Mackay mothballed Tamnavulin in May 1995, during a downturn in the whisky market.^1,4,5 In 2000 it made spirit for a short run, then was mothballed again the same year.^1,4,6 It then lay silent until 2007, when Whyte & Mackay was sold to Indian group United Spirits.^4,5,6

The 2007 refurbishment installed new stills.^1,4,5 In 2010 the owners decided to change the shape of the stills, aiming for a richer, deeper style of new spirit suited to wine cask maturation.^1,8 In 2014 United Spirits sold Whyte & Mackay for £430m to Emperador, part of Alliance Global Group.^4,5,6

It uses natural spring water from the surrounding mountains, drawn from springs high above the River Livet.^1,2,5 Its malt comes from various suppliers, and some of it is heavily peated.⁶ Wort, the sugary water from the mash, ferments in washbacks for at least 48 hours.⁶ Wikipedia counts 9 washbacks, while Difford's Guide counts 8.^5,9 It has 3 wash stills for the first distillation and 3 spirit stills for the second.⁹ The stills are heated by steam, and shell and tube condensers turn their vapour back into spirit.⁶ It can make 4.2 million litres of alcohol a year.⁶