The third (and last) one for today is a Tobermory, distilled in 1995, matured in a bourbon barrel for 20 years and afterwards bottled at cask strength. Only 132 bottles available for 95€ a pop.

Facts

Tobermory 1995 (for Whic Whiskycircle)

Nose

Vanilla mousse and lemon sherbet with raspberries. A whiff of cinnamon followed by almonds and sweet woodruff. Then wet grass and fresh polished cedar wood appear.

Taste

Strong entrance with pink grapefruit, pepper and burned caramel. The grapefruits gain the upper hand and it gets more sour. Some green walnuts in the background.

Finish

Long and drying. Cinnamon gum, nutmeg and gingerbread.

Overall

Yeah, this Tobermory works for me pretty well.

Score: 83 / 100

Sample provided by whic.de

Facts

Tobermory 1994 (Wilson & Morgan ‘Barrel Selection’)

Nose

Ah yes, undoubtedly a Tobermory. Minerals, earth, forest floor and wet leaves. Also malt and hints of citrus fruits. Nuts, caramelized raisins and unpopped popcorn.

Taste

Full-bodied, creamy and buttery with a slightly spicy punch. The sherry is more noticeable now. Dried Oranges, raisins, figs and nuts. Vanilla and lots of honey in the background.

Finish

Very long. Warming and spicy.

Overall

The sherry influence is rather subtle but adds the little something extra. One of the more approachable Tobermory bottlings I had so far.

Score: 83 / 100

I have yet to taste a older Ledaig, but I could image that the spirit really benefits from some more years in a cask. With that being said, I was a little more than just skeptical about today’s Ledaig 2008/2015 from Signatory Vintage’s ‘The Un-Chillfiltered Collection’ given its young age of 7 years.

But little did I know that my skepticism was completely unfounded.

Facts

Ledaig 2008/2015 ‘The Un-Chillfiltered Collection’ (Signatory Vintage)

Nose

A delicate triumvirate of cold coal smoke, smoked beef and a whiff of iodine. Followed by vanilla and a few lemon drops. Roasted cocoa beans, filter coffee and dark wild berries in the back. There is also something that reminds me of furniture polish.

Taste

Starts with a lot of chocolate, followed by rose pepper and dark fruits. Again filter coffee. Not as much smokiness as in the nose. Only hints of cold and dry smoke.

Finish

Medium with a slightly dryness and touches of spices. Ends with dark berries.

Overall

What a pleasant surprise! A really nice dram despite the young age. Very balanced from start to finish and way smoother than expected.

Score: 86 / 100

Sample provided by whic.de

The peaty Ledaigs are meant to represent the distillery’s original style and the distillery itself was named Ledaig for some of the time. Now, I am anything but fluent in Gaelic, but from what I know, the correct pronunciation of Ledaig is even on the Isle of Mull not without controversy. Whatever the case, the name translates to ‘safe haven’ in English.

Facts

Ledaig 10 Years Old

Nose

Cold coal smoke, slightly burned rubber and a whiff of iodine. There is something sweet-sour in the background which reminds of lemons and sweet balsamic vinegar.

Taste

Oily with spicy toasted oak and cold ash. Followed by freshly ground black pepper and red chili peppers. Burns on the tongue. The spiciness fades away with some time and lemon drizzle cake comes to light.

Finish

Long. Again cold ash. Paired with white pepper and salt water.

Overall

This single malt is hasty, wild and not afraid to show that. A bit too rough for my taste but I find this in-your-face-attitude rather refreshing.

Score: 82 / 100

For this single Malt a “dual-location maturation process” was used. In other words: The whisky was maturated – as generally usual for Tobermory – in the warehouses of Deanston in the Highlands. After 14 years the whisky was transported back again to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull for a 12 month long finish in Oloroso Sherry casks from the bodega  González Byass.

González Byass is, thanks not least to their fino sherry ‘Tío Pepe’, one of the best-known sherry bodegas. Manuel María González Angel founded the bodega in 1835 but his business did not flourished until he was joined by his English representative Robert Blake Byass. Byass’ descendants left the company in 1988.

Released back in 2008 to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the takeover of Tobermory by Burn Stewart, I guess the term ‘Limited Edition’ has to be relativized a bit here because this expression is still widely available as of this writing.

Facts

Tobermory 15 Years Old Limited Edition

Nose

At first a slightly opened humidor – hints of wood paired with very mild tobacco. However this first impression does not last long and vigorous, fruity sherry takes over. Joined by sweet, juicy oranges and piles of raisins. Somehow caramel makes its appearance now but it makes not the slightest efforts to hide the fact that it does not belong there.

Taste

Oily, sweet. The sherry is drier now and the fruitiness is more in the background. Followed by a smack of pepper and spicy oak. All of the sudden it gets really sour. Lemons. Limes. A downright tingle on the tongue.

Finish

Rather short with slight traces of salted caramel, apart from that very nondescript.

Overall

So much wasted potential here –  a completely displaced caramel note in the nose and a highly strange citrus influx in the taste. Given that, it seems almost appropriate that the finish is pretty much non-existent and a huge disappointment. Decent but not particularly memorable.

Score: 75 / 100

Facts

Tobermory 10 Years Old (46.3%)

Nose

Light and fresh with some floral hints. Joined by some white fruits and a touch of spices – maybe cinnamon?

Taste

Soft and sweet and slightly fruity. Hints of oak, extremely delicate and not at all spicy. Ends in absinthe, served with melted sugar and water.

Finish

Long. Some spicy herbs. Lingering anise.

Overall

Pleasant without any real highlights.

Score: 80 / 100