Okay, the title is a bit off since the Tobermory was not peated (this was no Ledaig!), and not poured during the same weekend as the others— with a wave of my magic wand I have combined a few short reviews from different weekends. A peek behind the curtain would reveal that I do not always post things in the order that I actually try or review them— in this case, I am breaking my jaunt through Japanese whiskies for a peatier diversion (though we are heading that way anyway….)
The artwork is my own; I’ve been practicing since my “penguin goes to Japan” sketch and we will see how long I can keep up the desire, and find the time, to create things for the website. I still prefer my wife’s style, but alas she has been busy with other projects as of late.
Kilkerran 10 Year (2013) Cage Bottle Rotation 31
NOTES: The aroma was maritime and smoky with plenty of charred fish skin and rubber buoy bobbing in the brine. Salty shoyu offered a rich umami with star anise and peppercorns— like prepping adobo in the harbor. Medium-bodied on the palate, the malt was oily with plenty of brine and sweet smoke. Fireworks and charred fish skin provided snacks and a show for anise, brown sugar, brine, and pepper (only missing vinegar to start some adobo at this point). A touch of rubber buoy and hot tar came near the end, but never turned acrid as the sweet sherry offered a caramelized sugary backbone. The finish was medium-length with caramelized sugars, coal soot, tar, and a kiss of salt.
SCORE: 7-8 (86)
IMAGE: Fireworks and Fish Snacks at the Harbor
THOUGHTS: If you make the pilgrimage to Campbeltown, you have to grab a cage bottlers from Springbank’s distillery shop (supply permitting… and they do sell down during the day). It is hard to go wrong with a heavily sherried Longrow or Kilkerran. These can also be had on auction, though finding one with enough reviews to know what you are getting is tricky— even if most of them are great, there are some weird and wild ones out there (you have no idea what they are like while in the shop, but there just making the bottle a memento of the trip heightens any experience with it). This was excellent; sweet and salty with a blanket of charred wood and oily fish skin. It reminded me of fish skin chips and adobo prep work, delicious.
Ardbeg 8 Year (2007), SMWS 33.143 “Thank you and goodnight!”
NOTES: Tar and incense offered prayers at an old harbor shrine— salt and wood in the air. Frankincense and burning herbs carried on with menthol, sage, and more pinewood with time. Further in sat fruity blistered peppers and charred meats. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was dripping with grilled meaty fats and caramelized sugars— a brown sugar or pineapple ham maybe? Peppercorns and thyme offered some herbal spice to pineapple and tropical fruits on a dirty grill top with ash and gristle. The finish was medium to long with a touch of brine and charred wood.
SCORE: 7 (85)
IMAGE: Celebratory Wake for a Rusted Grill
THOUGHTS: Punchy and aggressive, this was an Ardbeg-o-phile’s Ardbeg, with everything they might want from the Uigeadail, but cranked up with the eccentricities of a single cask. It was classic modern Ardbeg with a good clarity of flavor and balance between different elements. A bit of a neolithic cave malt, but peat heads will surely not mind.
Tobermory 21 Year (1996), Dramfool
NOTES: Melons and memories— the aroma offered up a beach picnic worth of salty air, chopped melons, and hints of sweet summer watermelon. A touch peppery at times with hints sulfur and plastic— like opening a new ninja turtle figure to play with on the beach, a childhood memory sweet with nostalgia and warm hard plastic straight from the package. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was more straightforward, with a bounty of fruit, cream, and beachy mineral brine. Chopped melons and honey dew sat at the beach picnic with citrusy lemon and orange. Creamy, almost buttery, with tart lilikoi and hints of those green plastic figurines. The finish was medium-length with peppery minerals, maritime salt, melon rind, and driftwood.
SCORE: 6-7 (80)
IMAGE: TMNT Beach Battle
THOUGHTS: Weird, but good. I love sweet plastic notes and this immediately triggered childhood nostalgia for freshly opened ninja turtle figures— a vacation treat that may have only happened once or twice, but which in my memories has become a primal part of my childhood. I imagine those plasticky notes will fade pretty quickly, the bottle was freshly opened when I tried it, perhaps leaving behind just the fruity core. Beyond that funky introduction the whisky was otherwise classic 1996 Tobermory with plenty of fruits and maritime elements heading more subtle beach and metallic qualities.
Whiskery Turnip 
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