Style: Light and Complex
Nose:
Begins with a brilliant mix of fragrant fruits and refreshing forest pine. Down a level, wow, interesting… A few dimensions of subtleties on display here, a dash of brine, white pepper, gunpowder, timber and faint meaty all framed within the spices. Unique, complex undertones weaving together. Maybe not everyone will dig this, but intriguing nose to say the least.
Palate:
Refined and elegant delivery of simmering fruits. Liquorice, vanilla cream and pineapple cake dusted with sea salt flakes and a touch of floral butter. Dryness exposed as the sweetness wanes, the salt lingers, minimal peat (?), while faint meaty, brassy malt rises and meets a fair share of woodiness. Then you realized the green peppermint leaves overtone has been there all along, wrapping around the whole expression. Pretty nice.
Finish:
Buzzing oak, gristly barley sugar and fruits. Red liquorice shining through till the end.
Thoughts:
A rather unique expression for me. Not sure if it is a crowd pleaser but I quite like it. There are plenty to chew on after the core sweetness – refreshing fruits is playing on a light, high-flying tune, leaving spaces for the deeper elements – malt, meat, maritime and oak to rise onto a more visible level. Complex and showing plenty of Tobermory character. Challenging but charming.
☆ [Recommended]
[53.8% • 2015 Bottled • 1994 Distilled • Independent Bottling • Single Cask • Cask Strength • Non Coloured • Non Chill Filtered • 14 of 228 Bottles • Cask Number: 145 • *]
-Esmond