Mull This One Over

Peaches and cream, that's what they should call this new 22 year old Tobermory, bottled for us by Sovereign. It's loaded with fresh stone fruit and a rich creamy texture, to the point that I think even my wife is going to enjoy this one. Tobermory is on the Isle of Mull just across from Oban and it makes a similarly light and vanilla-laden malt. This particular single barrel edition is right on point: a very delicious expression of a textbook Scotch malt character, nothing weird or out of the ordinary, just damn good whisky, with age, at full proof, at a hot price. This will not be the bottle that you drink a tablespoon from every few weeks. You're going to pour fingers of this stuff and it's going to be empty before you know it. Dangerously drinkable liquid.

1995 Tobermory 22 Year Old K&L Exclusive "Sovereign" Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky $89.99 - On the Isle of Mull, just north of Islay along Scotland’s west coast, is host to one of the most unassuming of distilleries called Tobermory, a malt that has quietly made outstanding, straightforward Scotch whisky since 1798. Never the most bold or brash of single malts, neither the loudest nor the most assertive, Tobermory does make a smoky island whisky called Ledaig, but the flagship malt is a fruitier, maltier expression that really starts to sing after two decades in wood. With this 22 year old single barrel edition bottled for us by Sovereign, the oft overlooked attributes of Tobermory come into full focus, beginning with an arousing bouquet of nectarines stewing in freshly-milled barley. That stone fruit goodness emirates from the glass in waves, morphing into a sweet nectar of honey and peach on the palate. The vanilla from the oak aging starts to shape the whisky on the mid-palate, adding spice and richness toward the finish where the barley becomes the star. The malty, creamy finish is lifted by the 50.8% ABV and that extra proof tingles the taste buds for minutes. There’s nothing new to be had from this exceptional Tobermory expression, just a classically-flavored malt whisky for a fabulous price. In a market currently full of anomalies and unique flavors, this is the bottle you’ll return to again and again.

-David Driscoll

David Driscoll