Tobermory 2007 12 Year Port Pipe Finish

I’ve probably said it a thousand times before… it does seem true that whisky from the isles, at its worst; is good. The team at Tobermory on Mull seem to have figured out how to make consistently good drams. Understandable then that I am excited about this limited edition release from 2007 finished in Port pipes. N: Powerful, pungent, and rich. There is a lot to unpack here. I’ll do my best: the malt is oily and ‘golden’ (is golden a smell?), no sign of grist or dryness. Something industrial like old oily steel works, there is a slight hydrocarbon and metal here that adds weight (sounds awful, its not). Behind this initial front is elements of the port, fresh orange, chocolate, maybe leather and espresso. Despite an overlay of seemingly jarring ‘off notes’, this is well balanced and very well integrated. I might well be imagining it, but I could swear I picked up on Turkish delight and incense like spice. P: Oh that takes you by surprise. This is the equivalent of a fantastical sword movement that you see before you realise you’ve run through. The initial approach is gentle, soft, and almost creamy, slightly caramel malt, warm barley. Then things come alive in a storm of prickly ginger, tannic oak, espresso bitterness. Successive sips take you through the depths of juicy and quite bright and ever so slightly sour fruits: citrus, strawberry, black forrest fruits. F: Long. There is a surprising amount of delicacy to the tannic and peppery spice that compliments a creamy chocolatey-berry medley with the deftest saltiness. I have never been to Turkey or Morocco, but I am somewhat reminded of travel documentaries that visit the rich and diverse spice markets and bazaars. There is a wonderful blend of raw industrial weightiness, bright summeriness, and vibrant spiciness to transport my mind to these places. This is beautiful stuff, deeply interesting and remarkably fun.. so much so that I didn’t notice the almost 60%ABV or stop to add a dash of water. Distiller whisky taste #284 [Pictured here with a piece of the resplendent Tiree Marble. I’ve shared this rock before as the closest thing to the Isle of Mull I have (Tiree is just next door). Beautiful pink dolomite and granular green diopside pyroxenes with origins dating back two and a half billion years. This yummy rock seems the perfect pairing for this yummy malt]. Tobermory Running Scores Tobermory 12: 4/5 Tobermory 12 2007 Port Pipe: 4.5/5 Ledaig 10: 3.75/5 Ledaig 12 2008 G&M Hermitage Cask: 3.75/5 Ledaig 18: 4.5/5

A- amber +2, high viscosity N- w/water: Sweet ( Honey, vanilla , caramel, maple syrup, burnt sugar, milk chocolate) fruity (raisins, plums, baked apples), barley, walnuts P- w/water: amazing sweet spicy arrival, full, oily, coating, sweet ( honey, vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, maple syrup) is like having a milk smoothie with all ingredients just mentioned, fruity ( plums, apricots, baked apples, raisins in the back end), walnuts, wet oak F- long pleasant finish, sweet-fruity-nutty after taste that keeps lingering around C- WOW!!!! it's a good dram, the sweetness from the port pipe finish is really good and perfectly balanced, it's so pleasant that I usually come back to this one very often, I remembered trying the Glenallachie 13 YO port pipe single cask (ralfy's bottle) after this one and the sweetness from the Glenallachie was a bit unpleasant compared to this one that I feel is perfectly balanced, will post my impressions soon on the Glenallachie

Nose: Engine oil, sulphur (good sulphur), oily malt and herbal tea in the initial nosing, together with a definite alcohol “nip” and a briny, maritime aroma. The port influence is very restrained, even shy, and at first presents more like grape juice or rose-hip tea in the background. Over time the fortified wine influence builds but never to the point of unbalancing the nose. Adding water tends to homogenize the nose at first and although it remains very pleasant, and does recover with time, it loses just a little character in the process. Palate: The arrival is sweet for a second before turning astringent and oaky with ginger, sweet dark berries and big malty flavours. The development brings dried citrus peel, salted preserved lemons and sweet grapefruit, all of which gradually give way to a return of the red berries that are now sweet but tart, like unripe blackberries. The texture is oily and rich. Water does not spoil the palate at all, adding creaminess and a unifying richness. Finish: Long. Spicy, dark chocolate, salt and finally sweet red berries and milk chocolate in the delicious, mouth-watering aftertaste. Another lovely Tobermory with a dirty old-school profile that has been elevated to a high degree of refinement. They keep doing this and are rapidly becoming one of my favourite distilleries. Not that long ago Tobermory was almost an embarrassment but over the last decade their releases have been of a very high standard. The distillery has re-invented itself and we are the ones to benefit. This is a very good malt, and one that deserves long and patient tasting. It is just about unobtainable now and I missed out on a bottle, but fortunately found a sample from a local online whisky merchant. If you do happen to come across a dusty bottle of this on a shelf somewhere do not hesitate to buy it. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)

A successful finish enriches the underlying spirit without masking its signature, something which was very well done in this Tobermory. On the nose, blackberries, red currants and grapefruit complement the coastal nature of the whisky. Black pepper, sea spray and green onions appear. Sweet and sour, gingery and slightly herbal, the taste demonstrates complexity and great balance. Re-emerging sweetness, hints of brine and some dry oak characterize the long and chocolaty finish. The port notes are spot-on, this malt is engaging and highly recommended! RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 88 pts → FIRST-CLASS