This 12 year old single malt from Tobermory was released in 2019 to celebrate the re-opening of the distillery, after a two year refurbishment break. It is a combination of first fill ex-bourbon barrels and a finish in virgin oak casks.
Tobermory 12 yo (46,3%, OB +/- 2021)
Nose: quite vibrant due to a nice interaction between oak spice (virgin wood), sweetness and maritime notes. Vanilla fudge and caramelized notes up front, with baked apple, honey and brown sugar. Hints of clove and nutmeg, with a light mentholated touch. Then some musty sherry, earthy notes and something lightly industrial, like metal tools and engine oil. Certainly not bland.
Mouth: still keeping us interested. Very sweet at first: plenty of barley sweetness, some dusty grains and toffee notes. Sultanas and apple crumble. This mixes with aromatic spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper) and zesty citrus. The herbal and almost floral woody side sets through, clearly showing the virgin oak influence, without overdoing it.
Finish: on malty notes, earthy spice and drying oak, disappearing a bit quickly.
Some people seem to think this Tobermory 12 Years lacks some distillery character. While the virgin oak does take away some of the underlying notes, I think it’s quite a successful core range whisky. Really drinkable and certainly not middle-of-the-road (one of the biggest pitfalls of core range whisky in my opinion). Available from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange for instance.