Tobermory 10 year old versus Tobermory 12 year old

To mark the distillery's 2019 reopening, Tobermory bumped up the age of its intro malt from 10 to 12 years. They also changed the recipe in a matter I don't find promising. The 10 was aged in ex-bourbon casks, a large portion of which seemed to be refill (per my senses). The 12 is a mix of first-fill ex-bourbon and new oak casks. So the modern Moar Oak! Method has now been adopted by yet another uniquely-styled spirit producer. I do not understand why they did that. It's not like all the rich kids are suddenly going to start drinking Tobermory.

One wonders if this would have happened under Ian MacMillan's watch.

Of course if I actually like the 12 year old better than the 10, you can just ignore every sentence above, except for the first one. I did weary of my last bottle of the 10yo, which is why I kept adding it to vattings and pouring out samples. At the time of that review, I applauded the producers for resisting "trying to turn it into something cuddlier and more commercial", yet I was left with "no interest in ever buying it again". And now here we are.

THE DATA

Tobermory 10yo (2015)	Tobermory 12yo (2019)
Distillery: Tobermory Brand: Tobermory Owner: Distell International Region: Isle of Mull Age: minimum 10 years Maturation: ex-bourbon casks Bottling year: 2015 Alcohol by Volume: 46.3% Chillfiltered? No Color added? No (from the bottom third of my bottle)	Distillery: Tobermory Brand: Tobermory Owner: Distell International Region: Isle of Mull Age: minimum 12 years Maturation: first fill ex-bourbon casks + virgin oak casks Bottling year: 2019 Alcohol by Volume: 46.3% Chillfiltered? No Caramel Colorant? No (from a purchased sample)

THE NOSES

Tobermory 10yo (2015)	Tobermory 12yo (2019)
Lots of grains in the foreground, like oats, wheat and barley. Grass, moss and limoncello fill out the middle. Hints of sugar and whipped cream float in the background.	It takes a very long time to open up. Once it does (after 25-30 mins), it's all apple skins, toasted oak spice, black raisins, cheese danish, apple crumble and roses. Manure and marshmallows begin to appear after 45 minutes.

OBSERVATIONS: The 12's nose, once it finally opened, was much better than I'd expected. Though zany and unbalanced, it's also thoroughly entertaining. I still prefer the 10's simple, rustic nose. I can't think of another single malt like it.

THE PALATES

Tobermory 10yo (2015)	Tobermory 12yo (2019)
It's still very youthful, but also has a silky mouthfeel. Toasted barley, apples and ginger snaps appear first. Then minerals and hay. After 30 minutes, a vibrant citrus note takes the fore.	Fresh ginger, lemon cookies and floral white stone fruits register first. When the oak kicks after 30 minutes, sugar, vanilla and caramel push nearly everything else out of the way, with limes being the only fruit that remains.

OBSERVATIONS: The 12's palate reads bigger than the 10's, and at first it's a bright, brisk drink, but then the casks arrive, neutralizing anything unique about the whisky. Though admirably raw and spirit-forward, the 10's palate continues to burn me out after 30mL.

THE FINISH

Tobermory 10yo (2015)	Tobermory 12yo (2019)
Minerals, roots, hay and ginger in the first few sips. Limes, lemons and grapefruits gradually take over.	Tart and a little grassy at first. Hints of herbal bitterness and pickled ginger. Most of those notes are pushed away by a massive sweetness in later sips.

OBSERVATIONS: As with the palate, the 12's finish starts off fresh and crisp, but then takes a turn for the sweet and generic. My thoughts about the 10's finish mirror those of its palate, though I do appreciate that it never gets sugary.

---

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As whisky production is not a charity, the folks at Tobermory were left in an awkward spot. The 10 year old's sales and word-of-mouth never seemed to lift off due to the single malt's unique style, but if the producers were to aggressively tinker with the whisky, then it wouldn't appeal to the few existing Tobermory fans.

A choice was made. By oak-doping the new 12 year old they elected to push it towards a modern, nearly characterless, character. While the quirky nose probably shows the best that can be done by mashing together a bold spirit with heavy wood extraction, all Tobermory notes quickly abandon ship in the palate.

On a positive(?) note, the 12 puts the 10 in a better light, making the retired single malt look like one of the last holdouts from a previous era. Other than the new 18 year old, all other official Tobermory releases have fortified wine finishes. They haven't gone Full Murray McDavid, but they're close. And that is why I have no other Tobermory samples in my collection.

TOBERMORY 10 YEAR OLD

Availability - phased out but still available throughout Europe and USA
Pricing - $45 - $65
Rating - 82

TOBERMORY 12 YEAR OLD

Availability - Available at many European and American specialty retailers
Pricing - $45 - $65 (Europe), $80 - $90 (USA)
Rating - 79

Old Pulteney 1989-2015 Lightly Peated

In a practice never since repeated by the distillery, Old Pulteney released two limited edition batches of lightly peated single malt in 2014 and 2015, distilled in 1990 and 1989, respectively. The malts themselves were not peated, rather the whisky spent the entirety of its maturation time in bourbon barrels that had previously held Islay single malt.

If you haven't had the opportunity to try Laphroaig bottled in that time period because whisky prices are now so extreme, then please take my word that Laphroaig was a much different whisky then than its current counterpart, earthier, oiler and certainly fruitier. (I don't know if this Old Pulteney was aged specifically in Laphroaig barrels, but there was at least one official single cask distilled in 1990 that had spent its life in such a cask.) So I hope today's small batch of 15+ casks resulted in a mildly smoky thing.

Distillery: Pulteney

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Age: 25 to 26 years old (1989 - 2015)

Maturation: refill bourbon barrels that had previously held Islay malt

Outturn: 3210 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
Smoked almonds, white peaches, rosewater and hint of cotton candy show up in the nose first. It gradually takes on a slightly mossiness, hints of Canadian bacon and blue cheese, as well as a newly opened box of graham crackers. That last note carries over into the palate where I immediately find s'mores and charcoal smoke. Then lime juice, copper, cinnamon, toffee chips and a Campari-like bite. An old school industrial note rumbles beneath. It finishes with charcoal, limes, grapefruits and Campari.

Gonna be gentle with the water...

DILUTED TO ~43%abv, or < ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose focuses on almonds, orange peels, citronella candles and a snuffed bonfire. A bright herbal bitterness pushes the palate's sweetness aside. Lots of almonds and maybe a half cigarette. The finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Indeed, it's mellow; a calm, casual Highland malt. I wonder if Pulteney could recreate something like this today, or have peated casks become too violent? Anyway, I was neither surprised nor disappointed by this whisky. The citrus, subtle bitterness and slight dirtiness of the palate proved to be among the highlights, along with the smoked almond and white peach combo in the nose. Dilution simplified it, but didn't ruin it. Buyers may wish for sensory fireworks when purchasing a whisky at this bottle's current price, but one should instead expect a pleasant, unfussy drink.

Availability - It's still around
Pricing - though it was €180 upon release, expect anything from €450-€900 now
Rating - 87

Clynelish 23 year old 1995 Single Cask Nation, cask 8660

Monday's light-to-medium-tinged refill cask Clynelish surprised with all of its sherry influence. Today's Clynelish is two years older and from a second-fill sherry butt, but is dark dark brown, looking like it was one of those refill casks sandblasted with fortified wine. So I'm going to set my dials to Sherry Blob.

On a note that's only interesting to me, I tried to get in on a bottle of this whisky three times. The first two sent to me were smashed by the courier. The third survived. At least I already know how it smells.

Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (North)
Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Age: 23 years (September 1995 - March 2019)
Maturation: 2nd fill Oloroso butt
Cask number: 8660
Limited bottling: 580
Alcohol by Volume: 52.4%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose is soaked with almond extract. It takes a few minutes before the rest appears: cocoa, metal, and mustard seed with hints of blossoms of brine. Some mango juice and dunnage notes appear after 30 minutes. No prunes nor raisins. Plums and cherry lollipops lead the palate, followed by blueberries, pecans and tart limes. A curious mix of Worcestershire sauce and fennel floats in the background. Less sweet than the palate, the finish shows more pepper and nuts. Lots of plums remain, though.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose gets LOUDER. Cherries, carob, toffee, mocha, amaretto and lime juice. Hints of barrel char and vanilla bean in the back. The palate begins with pipe tobacco, brine and plum jam. Tart limes and a touch of herbal bitterness keep it from getting too sweet. Then it gets sweeter in the finish, with cherry candy and plum wine. Bits of salted almonds and bitter herbs show up here and there.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though this was indeed another sherried thing, it also proved to be a quirky adventure. And I liked it a lot. Its nose lobbed a lot at my nose, yet it worked, and worked better when neat. When neat, the palate's fresh plumminess was a highlight, but I appreciated how its elements came together and mellowed out once diluted. The whisky was zany enough to interest me in purchasing a bottle, had it cost $100 less. I understand its pricing is comparable to the rest of the market for Clynelish at this age, so I'm happy to let it pass me by.

Availability - Mostly sold out
Pricing - $250-$300
Rating - 88

Clynelish 21 year old 1996 van Wees The Ultimate, cask 8793

I'm pretty thankful for the many good Highland single malts, so I'm going to review three 20-something year old Highland whiskies this week, two from Clynelish. Two sherry cask Clynelish in fact.

The first one is from The Ultimate series by van Wees. I used to be a big fan of this range when it was full of a wide variety of mid-aged single malts at very competitive prices, including some gems from Longmorn and Laphroaig. But at least 3/4s of their output today is made up of single-digit-aged casks from Signatory's warehouses. The prices are fine, but how much 8 year old Glen Spey does the world really need?

Anyhoo, this one, a refill sherry butt bottled in 2017, was from the tail-end of that earlier era. It's one of those rare Clynelishes not yet reviewed by Mr. Clynelish himself.

Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (North)

Bottler: van Wees (The Ultimate series)

Age: 21 years (8 October 1996 - 2 November 2017)

Maturation: refill sherry butt
Cask number: 8793
Limited bottling: 623

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(Thank you to Dr. Springbank for the sample!)

NEAT

At first the nose goes light on the sherry. There are apricots, golden raisins, walnuts and dusty book pages. After 45 minutes black raisins roll out, followed by cherry jam and vanilla. The palate never goes easy on the sherry. Grape jam, bitter chocolate, PX and charred beef. Cherry yogurt and peppery arugula. It has quite the thick mouthfeel throughout. It finishes with cherry jam, grape jam, jalapeño oil and caramel.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose becomes darker, if one can smell darkness. Wood smoke, copper and soil. Dried cherries, prunes and mixed nuts. The jams and prunes have abandoned the palate, nut butters and baking spices have taken their place with hints of vanilla pudding and oranges in the background. The not-too-sweet finish shows nut butters, vanilla pudding and citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The whisky's light gold color misled me into thinking this was going to Clynelish-forward. Instead it was ~90% cask, which was kind of a letdown. The world does need more 20+ year old Clynelish, but not when it's buried under the cask or the vessel's previous contents. It's not a bad whisky at all, but the source distillery could be nearly any facility in the Highlands and much of Speyside. So if you're just looking for 20+ year old sherried whisky, this'll serve that purpose. If you're looking for Clynelish, you may want to search elsewhere.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 84

Ledaig 20 year old 1997 The Munros, for K&L Wine Merchants

The Glasgow Whisky Company (TGWC) is a new-ish indie bottler. They've released a few dozen whiskies since their start in 2007, including a number of single malts for California retailer K&L Wine Merchants. I'm out of the loop when it comes to K&L's exclusives, thanks to shipping regulations, and have had only one chance to nab a bottle since I moved out of Southern California. That bottle was a Ledaig, but not this Ledaig, and that's another boring story. More relevant to today's post, I was able to take part in a split of this Ledaig bottled under TGWC's The Munros label.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: The Glasgow Whisky Company
Range: The Munros
Age: 20 years (1 May 1997 - 31 October 2017)
Maturation: three hogsheads
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 52.6%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose is earthier than Wednesday's Alexander Murray Ledaig, but has that same toasty peat note. Some candy notes too, like cinnamon gum and watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Plenty of dried apricots too. With time the earthiness shifts to an organic mustiness, friendly peat smoke and a fudgy hint. The palate has a nice funkiness. Soil and manure, mossy smoke and a kombucha-like fermented note. Salt and lemons fill in the edges, and it all gets sweeter with time. It finishes tangy and sweet. Lemons, limes and ginger beer. Its earthiness lasts the longest.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose picks up yellow stone fruits and lemons. The earthiness retreats. A mesquite smoke arises. Less smoke and more sweets in the palate. But the sugars are balance by a big herbal bitter bite, fennel and pickled ginger. The finish matches the palate, though a little more lemony.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I enjoyed all three Ledaigs this week, and I'm thankful the three bottlers offered up whiskies that went very light on the oak. It was great to match up this one with the 1997 20yo from Alexander Murray. This Ledaig gets the edge thanks to its quirkiness and fruitiness, but their qualities are so close that I'd be happy with either. The fact that The Munros Ledaig was priced 40% cheaper than the other would have made for a much easier decision. I normally don't regret missing out on store exclusives, but this whisky would have hit the spot this fall.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 88

Ledaig 20 year old 1997 Alexander Murray & Company

Alexander Murray & Company's bottlings flooded the California whisky retail scene almost overnight in 2015, appearing in beloved specialty retailers as well as Costco. The distillery variety was impressive, the the 40%abvs were not. A year later a pair of cask strength bottlings (Dalmore and Highland Park) appeared but I wasn't particularly thrilled with either. Then I moved out to Ohio — whose liquor control department doesn't believe in independent bottlings — and promptly forgot about Alexander Murray. At some point the company reinvigorated their brand and began offering additional cask strength single malts from Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain and this Ledaig. Let's see if this is a step up from that Highland Park.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: Alexander Murray & Company
Age: minimum 20 years (distilled 1997)
Maturation: "multiple refill Bourbon barrels" per the official site
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? ???
Colorant added? ???

(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose begins very sugary, think circus peanuts and orange candy. Blue scented marker (a fave) and roasted corn. The peat reads toasted as opposed to outright smoke. The palate's sweetness is milder than the nose led on but the peat is heavier, starting off as dark industrial smoke, then tilting towards moss. Lots of salt in the foreground, though less than Monday's monster. Some mellow tropical fruit punch hints in the background. It finishes with tart and tangy fruit, ocean-y peat and a hint of tobacco.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Just this little bit of water does indeed bring change. Now the nose shows manure, black walnuts and chalk dust up front, grilled pear with fruity cinnamon in the back. The palate gets fruitier: apples and pears, as well as a lemony smoke. Then plenty of salt and a hint of those black walnuts. The finish mirrors the palate but with a little more herbal bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A few steps up, in fact! This is a proper peated drink, to my palate, that even lets some fruits sneak through. Because I'm a sucker for black walnuts (except for that damned tree in my backyard), I may have enjoyed the diluted version even more. As this was a mix of "multiple" casks, I think the blending did it a lot of favors, sanding down raggedy edges and providing structure, while also probably salvaging at least one very low ABV cask. The price was a bit steep and the whisky has sold out, so once again, you're welcome.

Availability - Sold out, I think
Pricing - $170-$190
Rating - 87

Ledaig 17 year old 1998 AD Rattray cask 800036 (my bottle)

The Mull Monster

I wasn’t even in the mood to buy anything when I saw this bottle in late 2015. (My comrades with this same disease know what happened next.) A year later I realized I’d never actually enjoyed super-high ABV single malts. A year after that I opened my awful sherry cask Auchentoshan from this same bottler, and began to wonder if something terribly wrong happened to this sherry cask too. Buyer’s Remorse set in.

When 2020 decided to be all 2020 about everything, I figured if this Ledaig was indeed demon piss then this was the right year to find out.

Cheers.

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Owner: Distell International Ltd.
Region: Isle of Mull
Independent Bottler: AD Rattray
Age: 17 years (3 April 1998 - 1 Sept 2015)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask number: 800036
Outturn: 528 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 65.8%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(from my bottle)

I tasted this whisky at three ABV levels, side by side, for the purposes of this review:

FULL STRENGTH, 65.8%abv
There's no alcohol burn to the nose, but there are three peat levels trading fours: Farm, Moss and Ocean. Chalk dust and stones fill in the midground. Black plums, dried cherries and toffee chips perch in the background. And occasionally a cashew hint ekes out. The palate is VERY approachable for this ABV. Black walnuts, manure, and a salty, savory broth sit up front. Sweet citrus, nectarines and baking spices are in the back. The monolithic finish is all stones, earth, salt, herbal smoke and bitter chocolate.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose goes medicinal, with lots of iodine and band-aids. But there are also candied pecans, orange peels, seaweed and manure. The palate becomes intensely salty, like ocean water and kelp. It grows sweeter and more aromatic with time, gaining a good selection of citrus fruits. It finishes salty and savory. Some mossy smoke, dark chocolate and limes appear after a while.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or >2½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Much more variety in the nose now. Industrial smoke and elephant manure. Walnuts, dried herbs and hay. Dark chocolate and cherries. The palate remains very very salty and a herbal bitterness develops around the edges. Bits of brown sugar and raspberry jam in the background. Bitter chocolate and dried stone fruits finish it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Immediately upon finishing my first pour from this bottle I was convinced that the 65.8% abv was a typo. It drank much too easily. Perhaps the label was supposed to read 56.8% (which was the ABV of the previous Rattray I reviewed, coincidentally), or 55.8%. I was convinced there was something fishy going on, and not the usual Weird-Era Ledaig fishiness.

But after this tasting my doubt has decreased. In fact after the tasting I was utterly hammered and my mouth was numb. And at ~46%abv, the whisky was still gigantic. Had the original ABV been 56.8%, and I'd added the same amount of water, the dilution would have dropped it to about 39%abv, and that was no 39%abv whisky.

Ignoring all the numbers, I must say this is a terrific whisky. Its sheer brutality keeps it from ascending to the 90+ point team. Heaps upon heaps of sea salt and bitter chocolate fill the palate, and Octomore-levels of peat punish the nose. And also manure. It's a manure monster. You can add water, but it won't save you.

Availability - Possibly still around on The Continent
Pricing - I bought it for $120 four years ago, now it appears to be closer to $150-$200 (pending exchange rates)
Rating - 89