After a week of Kilkerrans that began well (here and here) and ended not as well, here is a week of reviews themed not on distillery but on cask type. This week’s reviews will all be of sherry cask-matured whiskies, and for a secondary filter they’re all from distilleries located on different islands. First up is a Tobermory.
I have a checkered relationship with Tobermory. I’ve not enjoyed very much of the spirit bottled as Tobermory (the name for the unpeated whisky made at the distillery). On the other hand, I’ve liked a lot of the Ledaig I’ve had (the name for the peated whisky made at the distillery). In particular, I’ve liked a lot of the heavily sherried Ledaig I’ve had. Well, this Tobermory is from a single oloroso cask. Is that a good sign? Let’s see.
Tobermory 17, 2004 (55.9%; oloroso cask; from a bottle split)
Nose: That nutty, beany note reminiscent of old medicine bottles with rubber gaskets; cereals. The sherry expands on the second sniff with orange peel rising to the top. Below it all is an organic note (something rotting in the distance). The citrus gets sweeter as it sits. A few drops of water pull out some rock salt and mix it with the citrus.
Palate: Comes in as advertised by the nose with some savoury gunpowder accompanying. Approachable at full strength; good texture. The sulphur expands on the second sip and gets dirtier; and the sherry separation happens earlier as well. The rubber gaskets from the nose expand too. As it sits it begins to come together again with the citrus on top—more like orange soda now with a slightly metallic edge—and more of the cereals (now slightly toasted). Okay, let’s see what water does for it. It integrates it all further and brings out rock salt here as well along with more of a biscuity note (ginger biscuits).
Finish: Long. A bit of sherry separation at first but it resolves. Gets sharper as it goes and there’s some ash in there too. The orange peel is there till the end. Less sharp with water and generally as on the palate.
Comments: This was a bit of a ride. The true sulphur-phobe would not enjoy this; as an aficionado of rock salt and savoury gunpowder, I liked it once the sharper notes and the sherry separation calmed down. If you had a full bottle of this I’d be interested to hear how it developed over time.
Rating: 85 points.
I really enjoyed this bottle and at $120 MSRP, it’s a solid value. I enjoy the base Tobermory spirit and don’t regret stashing an extra bottle of this. The industrial funk, sulphur and salt/mineral notes with the nutty oloroso, which is well-balanced and not overpowering, combines for a dirty profile I find really quite enjoyable. I’d be curious what, outside of the Campbeltown distilleries or Ben Nevis, offer a similar funk profile in your experience- I haven’t been able to find many. Perhaps the stray Craigellachie or Mortlach IB.
To answer your question at the end, I am 2/3 of the way through a bottle. I probably preferred the earlier pours. It’s gone from an A- to a B+, the finish seems shorter and the sulphur has dissipated for better or worse (worse, in my case). Still, a decent amount of rancio remains.
$120 is a really good price in this market. I’d be tempted if I saw it at that price—though I assume it’s gone.
As for where other funky/dirty profiles in this vein can be found: I would say Jura is a place to look. I’m not the biggest fan of Jura but you can get those funky, farmy notes there. Craigellachie and Ballechin are two others that display similar qualities. Not identical, of course, but closer, I would say than either Ben Nevis or any of the Campbeltown labels.