Hipflask key to brand campaign

Television viewers on C4 and Everyman cinema goers will now see an short film launched by distillers Tomatin to boost brand awareness throughout the UK initially and then internationally. It is designed to share true Highland warmth from their home to yours.

The advert features a hipflask momento which carries memories and was shot in and around the company’s distillery positioned 315 meters above sea level around 15 miles from Inverness.

The company claim it is an idyllic spot where naturally soft water from the Alt-na-Frith burn is introduced to Scottish barley. Later, from the copper stills, a mellow, fruity spirit is born and gentle maturation high above sea level “lets the subtle character” of the spirit emerge. Patience is vital, so is, the company say, a gentle hand and a passion for purity.

The projection is on the small and large screen is a first for Tomatin which has developed into a top 25 brand globally and one of the scenes features a former fish smokehouse on-site and another shows whisky being poured into a river, a ritual giving something back to the water at the start of the salmon fishing season to keep the fish in good health. 

The overall brand initiative called, To What Matters, marks an important milestone for the company as it approaches its 125th anniversary.

In 1897, when Tomatin was founded, bosses found hard to attract workers from the mainly agricultural surroundings so they built cottages around their distillery and many of the craftsmen still live on the site and have done so throughout their working lives.

That pride and passion for the product, the company believe, comes through and the latest whisky was picked from “seven or eight recipes” and actually chosen by workers who were given samples to take home and taste before giving their preference. The staff obviously have good taste as the latest brand has already been praised highly by international judges.

The company’s core collection, of course, includes Tomatin Legacy, described as an entry point whisky aged in a combination of bourbon barrels and virgin-oak casks.

Also in the core group is Tomatin 12 year old which the company say is distinguished by its classically smooth finish.

Tomatin also boast a collection of what is called “prestige” single malts ranging from 30 to 50 years old, including the Warehouse 6 Collection. The casks, the company’s “most treasured” lie in the heart of the distillery watched by Graham Eunson, master distiller. He decides when the time is right for their “awakening”.

A position in the world’s top 20 is the aim for the ambitious company and Jennifer Masson, head of brand, said they have ambitious growth plans for Tomatin single malt, building on the rapid success they have enjoyed had in recent years.

She added: “Working at Tomatin is more than just a job, it’s a way of life.”

The company hope the new film and chosen media will take their products to a new audience and bosses will have to use some of that patience to allow the numbers to come in and for the experts to distil the figures to find out if their pre-release campaign strategy has been successful.