Tobermory 30 Year (1994), Alambic Classique Cask 24024
Whisky: Tobermory 30 Year (1994), Alambic Classique Cask 24024
Country/Region: Scotland/Islands
ABV: 62.9%
Cask: Chateau D’Yquem Sauternes Barrel
Age: 30 Years (Distilled 1994, Bottled 2024)
Nose: Big cask-driven aroma, dried fruits, bitter orange, earth, swimming pool, new leather shoes, lacquered wood, moss, bergamot.
Palate: Full-bodied and thick, dried fruits, oranges, bergamot, honey, nuts, earth, moss, leather with hints of rubber and cured meat.
Finish: Long with a maritime brine, honey, leather, and earth.
Score: 8 (88)
Mental Image: Sasquatch Shoemaker’s Christmas Sale
Narrative & Notes: Thick and heady, the aroma featured massive wine notes of dried fruits, bitter oranges, earthy shiitake mushrooms, malty sugar cookies, and a gentle maritime brine. Chlorinated swimming pool vapors lingered further in with the chemical-leather-rubber aroma of the traditional shoe-buying experience— lacquered wood, oak moss, and bergamot reinforced this memory. Full-bodied, thick and viscous like molasses or full-fat cream— completely palate-coating with a lovely warming heat on the throat. Dried fruits and earth arrived in full force with apricots, bitter oranges, bergamot, and dates laying siege to honey glazed nuts, moss, and a basket of wild mushrooms. Shiitake and occasionally porcini battled with leather and subtle hints of rubber or cured meats. The finish was long with a maritime brine, honey, leather, and earth.
This was a bit closed off at first and took time to open up. Even then, the cask was always dominant with the briny island malt poking out here and there as the Chateau d’Yquem sauternes cask left behind a panoply of earth and orangey fruits— all of which occasionally took a funky turn. A few drops of water allowed the fruits become more distinct and some metallic and maritime aspects of the malt to emerge with greater force.
Overall, a powerful and feisty affair considering the age— the wood must have been tightly grained for this whisky to have kept such a high abv compared to similar age/vintage malts and for 172 bottles to still come out of the barrel.
