Tastes

In the Glass: Amber/gold with decent legs in the glass. On the Nose: Sweet with a touch of smoke. Not terribly complex; as it's neither very interesting nor is it offensive. It's very, "Yep, that's a blended malt". Taste: Sugared smoke, and reliably so. A quick and soft development with a touch of bitterness on the finish. I think that Talisker and Caol Ila play the biggest role here, with God only knows how many other malts. Everything is muted down and homogenized by the grain whisky in the blend...and you get the sense that whatever one it is that they use, it's not a stand-alone spirit. There isn't any variation from bottle-to-bottle with this stuff, which is pretty impressive given their volume. It's the kind of thing that you reach for as your second or third drink for the night. Reliable and decent, especially for the money.

In the Glass: This kind of lives up to the "Red" moniker, it has a lot of dark/burnt sienna going for it. On the Nose: Seeing as how this is cask strength, it needs a few drops of water to subdue the alcohol a bit, otherwise there is a fair amount of astringency to it. Once that's done and it's opened a bit in the glass... Sweet. Red berry jam, roasted nuts and vegetal peat. This may be a peated whisky, but it's no smoke bomb from Islay. The Springbank character is very much intact at the core of this, but the port cask influence is definitely present. I think that a lot of the fruity aspects come from this, though it dials down the "saltiness" that a lot of Springbanks are known for. Taste: An amped up version of the nose. The first thing you get is an intense fruit sweetness which takes on a touch of smoke through the development. The finish has a lot of bitter roasted nuts to it that plays really nicely against that initial sweetness. I really recommend looking out for this one. I haven't tried the other "Reds", but I can imagine that they are equally interesting. This is a great example of how gentle and characterful a peated whisky can be, with only touches of smoke.

On the Nose: Honey, walnuts and toffee with some wood notes in the background. Dried fruit as well. Water definitely opens things up a bit, making things a touch sweeter (just don't drown it). In the Glass: Golden Brown. Taste: Definitely some nuts going on here, almost like it was matured inside a huge hazelnut shell (and this isn't a bad thing). Toffee and caramel flavors dominate the finish, though this one finishes more bitter than sweet. The 10 year old Origin always tasted like it had to be forced out of its casks, kicking and screaming, begging mom for just a little bit longer... The extra 6 years shows that it was on to something.

In the Glass: Pale yellow. On the Nose: Laphroaig's younger sister. She's got the same genes, but all of the edges have been smoothed out with dollops of peaches & cream. Sweet, smoked vanilla. Taste: Immediate Islay arrival, with all of the other components dominating the finish. The flavor very closely matches the nose with lots of sweet fruit and vanilla influence, but layered over something cereal. A smoked parfait maybe? Great stuff. This is everything that Johnnie Walker Black wants to be, for not much more money. Rather than the grain whisky getting in the way of the flavor, as with the JW; here it integrates into the overall flavor very successfully.

I want to start off by saying that this is a re-review. I first reviewed this spirit about a year ago, and I'm not sure that I gave it it's due. I wouldn't say that I had a bad bottle by any means, but I do think that I'm better prepared to review this one today than I was back then. The Bottle: Squatter than most, with a nice green glass and a thin band of a paper label. Very similar to my remarks about the 15 year old, which only differs in color and proportion; but all of the relevant details hold the same. Tobermory consistently produces some of my favorite bottling designs across their range. The label calls out that it's un-chill filtered, but doesn't say anything about a natural color. I tend to think that it is, given the color of the spirit itself but it's hard to be sure. This Is a classy one that looks quite nice in any bar. In the Glass: A few shades darker than an Ardbeg. It has a straw color to it, but with a touch of apple juice. On the Nose: This is where you start to realize that Tobermory puts together a spirit unlink most others. There's a a powerful dry note to this with a marine backdrop. It's got an herbal quality to it, as if "Sea Sage" were a thing. A touch of green apple woven in there as well to round it out. Being the only active distillery on the Isle of Mull really gives these guys a chance to put their mark on the single malt map. It's not really "like" other ones that I've come across. Taste: This is interesting. Picture a marriage between Calvados, citrus, rubbed sage and the smell of a cold water beach. It's an odd mix, but it actually works quite well on the tongue. Aside from some of the apple hints, this isn't a sweet whisky; this is a savory one. The dry sage and herbal qualities in this allow it to play the role of an aperitif or something to go really well with a meal. I wouldn't reach for this as a dessert dram, like I would so many others. The finish turns astringent and drying, which makes you want to reach for another sip shortly after your last one. All-in-all, a really nice whisky from an often-overlooked distillery. It's started to become more difficult to find out by me, which is a pity. I've grown very fond of it the second time around and I very much look forward to the newer 12 year old offering(s) that Tobermory is working on. I likewise reviewed a bottle of the 15 year-old, and I can definitely see how this spirit provides the foundation for that one.

In the Glass: Lemon yellow, almost like a Chardonnay. On the Nose: Fresh fruit and some hints a sweet white wine, almost mead-like. Taste: More fresh fruit. A slight bitter note on the finish, but this subsides after a few minutes in the glass. A few drops of water helps open it further, as it's bottled at 46%; but too much water will easily drown it. This is a very pleasant and delicate malt with no chill-filtration or caramel colorant added. Very fruit-forward and seemingly unapologetic about it. Very well made spirit and good value for the money, I look forward to trying some of their other releases.