Highland whisky distillery Tomatin said it is now officially the fastest growing top ten single malt whisky in the United States.
“Recent figures released by Impact Databank confirm that the brand has increased its foothold in the US by a massive 52% following significant international growth,” said Tomatin.
Tomatin said it sold more than 35,000 cases of branded product stateside in 2017, amounting to almost £2 million worth of sales.
The brand proved particularly popular in states including New York, Texas and California.
Graham Nicolson, sales director of Tomatin, said: “There is growing demand for Tomatin stateside and, thanks to our fantastic partnership with Phillips Distilling Co., we have been able to meet this demand and grow Tomatin’s US presence at a significant pace.
“2018 has been a year of intense acceleration for Tomatin, not just in the US, but in the UK too.
“We are delighted to celebrate this latest business milestone and look forward to further growing the brand in the US, and beyond, as we head into 2019.”
Sarah Dickson, international director at the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “The US continues to be the largest export market for Scotch Whisky, accounting for over £921.7 million in exports last year.
“Single malts are extremely popular in the USA, with the country representing 26% of overall value of single malt exports – and the equivalent of 23.7 million bottles shipped to the country in 2017.
“On a global level, single malts continue to perform strongly, and since topping £1bn in exports in 2016 are now valued at £1.2 billion.”
Christopher Null, a California-based whisky blogger and editor of Drink Hacker, commented: “This is huge news for a generally under sung brand that is known for both its impressive – and often unique – expressions and reasonable pricing.
“Tomatin hasn’t been well-known by most US consumers, so annual growth of 52% is a huge accomplishment that will seemingly be changing things in short order.
“I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of these whiskies on the US market.”
Tomatin in June reported a double-digit increase in turnover and profit.
Sales in 2017 were 25% higher on the previous year at £18 million, driven by growth in the UK, the US and Europe.
Turnover from the distillery’s visitor centre — an important income stream for the business, surpassed £1 million for the very first time.
Tomatin’s portfolio of core whiskies spans four decades and the distillery also produces Cù Bòcan, a lightly peated single malt whisky, and range a range of blended whiskies.