Tobermory 27 Year (1995), Thompson Brothers
Whisky: Tobermory 27 Year (1995), Thompson Brothers
Country/Region: Scotland/Islands
ABV: 49.7%
Cask: Refill Hogshead
Age: 27 Years (Distilled 6 Dec. 1995, Bottled Dec. 2022)
Nose: Dried mango, passion fruit syrup, li hing mui— salty and slightly tart, longan and rambutan, guava candies, subtle buttery quality, sea salt, slightly antiseptic fish market, ginger and lemongrass
Palate: Medium-bodied, soft and buttery, maritime, tropical citrus, yeasty-herbal funk, tart-sour fruit, musty, medicinal herbs, subtle metallic notes.
Finish: Long and lingering with salt, tropical fruit, bitter oak, and copper.
Score: 8
Mental Image: Tropical Rain on a Tin Roof
Narrative & Notes: On a stroll through a seaside tropical market, sampling ripe fruit and examining the day’s catch; the aroma drifted between tropical fruits and a salt fish market with hints of antiseptic cleaning solutions. Dried mango, passionfruit syrup with tart and salty li hing mui, longan, rambutan, and custardy cherimoya appeared one after the other on a long tour of a tropical fruit buffet. Guava candies interspersed with a slightly funky butter as shortbread cookies led to maritime sea breezes, antiseptic cleaning solutions, fish markets, ginger, and lemongrass. Medium-bodied and soft on the palate with a buttery salinity that ran throughout. Fizzy tropical fruits arrived first with lemon, jabong (pomelo), and yuzu, with an occasional slightly yeasty funk cresting on the backend. A tart, sour quality emerged in the wake of the musty and salty fruit with medicinal spice, tea, and a metallic copper twang. The finish was long and salty with teases of tropical fruit, bitter oak, and copper.
A few drops of water elevated the creaminess of the mouthfeel and brought out more of the delightful tropical fruits of the nose. While I know many will be tempted by the abv and sound mouthfeel to skip adding water, it raised this dram to another level. It took a lovely, slightly funky Tobermory to a maritime absolute delight. For those like myself, who often find yeasty, herbal, and occasionally bitter notes unpleasant, water helped to mute them and provide greater coherency to the medicinal and metallic aspects. Additionally, a little time to breathe brought out more maritime undertones, providing a crispness that was not initially present.
Overall, another delight from Tobermory; these twenty-plus-year-old 1995 vintage Ledaig and Tobermory verge on being a particularly legendary vintage-age combination. My wife described the tropical fruits as akin to sweet tinned pineapple with a slight metallic tinge from the acid-tin combination.
Image Credit: Scotch & Sheen; who can also be found on MaltRunners.com
