The Antiquary is one of Scotland's oldest blended whisky brands. It was first registered in 1888 by Edinburgh wine merchants John and William Hardie, who named it after Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name. Tomatin Distillery has owned the brand since 1996, and in 2024 its blender Scott Adamson relaunched The Antiquary as a trio of aged blends. He drew on the Hardies' original methods and on Tomatin's deep reserves of mature whisky. The 30 Year Old is the pinnacle of that range.
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It is built on a high proportion of Highland and Speyside single malts, including whisky from Tomatin itself, balanced with Lowland grain whisky. Every component has spent at least 30 years in oak. The blend was then married together for more than three years in sherry casks sourced from Jerez. This unusually long marrying period gives a depth and integration rarely found in a blend, and it is bottled at 40% ABV.
With time come beeswax polish, old leather and warm baking spice.
A rare chance to enjoy a genuinely old Scotch at a fraction of the price of a 30-year-old single malt, and a superb gift for a milestone birthday or anniversary. Best enjoyed neat, or with a drop of water to open it up.