Cù Bòcan, the experimental single malt made each winter at Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, has released Creation #9, its oldest expression to date. Bottled at 46% ABV and limited to 3,800 bottles globally, the whisky is priced at £45 and was designed around the sweet and salty taste of cinema popcorn.
The ninth release in the brand’s limited-edition Creations series, Creation #9 draws its flavor from a pairing of American virgin oak and Manzanilla sherry casks.
At over 17 years old, the larger share of the spirit (80%) matured entirely in American virgin oak casks, which are rarely used for such a lengthy maturation. This produces layers of vanilla, honey and caramel sweetness. The remaining spirit spent 13 years in refill hogsheads before a four-and-a-half-year finish in Manzanilla sherry casks.
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Made from Palomino grapes in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Cádiz coast, Manzanilla is a pale, bone-dry fortified sherry. Its casks carry a signature salinity, layering salted caramel, toasted almond and coastal freshness into the spirit. Together, the two casks create the sweet and salted popcorn note that defines the release.
Jamie Muir, distillery manager at Tomatin, said: “Creation #9 set out to prove that patience pays off in the most unexpected ways.”
He added: “The American virgin oak has given the single malt its deep, sweet backbone, but it’s the Manzanilla sherry cask that elevates the expression, bringing in the salty, savoury edge that balances all the sweetness.”
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READ THE STORYMuir continued: “The result is one of the most unexpected flavours we’ve crafted. It’s exactly the kind of discovery that makes the Creations series so exciting, and the perfect excuse for a movie night.”
Creation #9 arrives in a red-and-white carton with diagonal detailing reminiscent of a classic popcorn box. Its engraved contours echo the wisp of Cù Bòcan’s signature smoke and the staves of the casks that shaped it.
Natural in color and non-chill filtered, the whisky is now available from Tomatin Distillery’s website and from specialist whisky retailers in the UK and worldwide.
According to the official notes from the brand, the nose offers vanilla, honey and caramel sweetness balanced by salted popcorn, toasted almonds and coastal salinity. The palate brings bright lemon zest and crisp orchard fruit, while the finish is long and gently spiced, with lingering dry oak and subtle maritime freshness.
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