Whisky: Tobermory 10 Year (2008), Duncan Taylor Cask 16900188

Country/Region: Scotland/Islands

ABV: 53%

Cask: Oak

Age: 10 Years (Distilled Oct. 2008, Bottled July 2019)

Nose: Citrus and slightly sour cream, a kiss of salt and dried herbs, cream of wheat, orange juice, hints of peppercorns and Southeast Asian aromatics— anise and coriander mostly.

Palate: Medium to light bodied and mild with summery citrus, almost sangria in fruitiness with oranges, limes, and lemons amongst hints of apple. Mildly lactic or creamy with herbs and peppercorns in the background. A touch of spirit at the end.

Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with candied citrus, oak, and subtle pepper.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Summer Sangria in the Carpentry Shed

Narrative & Notes: I initially tried this blind and guessed it was a mid-2000s Clynelish at about a decade old and matured in a bourbon hogshead. With my blind guess locked in, I checked the list of possibilities my friend provided with the whisky. Immediately, I noticed a lack of Clynelish, so my shot in the dark was likely wrong.

The two more likely options were a Duncan Taylor Tobermory or a Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive. I had not had either of those, but this felt a bit too heavy to be Dalwhinnie, and the hints of salt on the nose and finish put me in the mind to guess Tobermory. Although I have reviewed a lot of Ledaig, I have tasted very little Tobermory, so I am not particularly familiar with the distillery’s unpeated spirit.

It turns out that looking at the list of possibilities gave me a substantial handicap! It was the Duncan Taylor 10-Year Tobermory. I feel pretty good about my guess as I more or less got the cask and age correct, even if my initial shot in the dark was pretty far off.

This was lovely. Not a complex whisky or one to fuss over. My wife described the whisky as “funky maple syrup and rubber balloon.” She particularly enjoyed some of the funkier elements that came through. It was a touch spirited at times, more so than I care for, but the lactic quality on the nose and palate made this a friendlier version of what the Classic Laddie was a decade or so ago (I think it is much less funky and lactic now). Maybe I should be tasting more Tobermory.

Image Credit: Scotch & Sheen