Review #70 Tobermory 10yr: Scotch

Score: 8.7 / 10

Distillery: Tobermory

Type: Single Malt Scotch

I stumbled into a Costco in San Diego while visiting my folks for the holidays and they had an incredible selection of whiskies including Scotch, Irish, Rye and Bourbon. I think most impressively there was a TON of Alexander Murray Ledaig 20 year cask strength priced at $77 per bottle. I quickly grabbed two, one to try for myself and one to send to a friend at my cost. Simply put it was incredible and prompted me to start looking into Ledaig.

It took darn near 10 months for me to realize I had been pronouncing the name incorrectly. Ledaig is actually pronounced like "ley-chaig" (I'm just going to assume I've been mispronouncing all Scotch brands from now on). But In my research I learned about the Ledaig distillery, which eventually became Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

With how good the Ledaig was, I was now on the hunt for some Tobermory. Tobermory is known for being their non-peated expression. In April of 2020 I stumbled upon a bottle of Tobermory 10yr and purchased it and the rest (well after this review) is history.

Whiskey Review:

Nose: A burst of citrus that smells like fresh squeezed lemon and lime (not sprite). My girlfriend thinks it smells like margaritas. Below the citrus lies fresh cut grass, green grapes, honey and vanilla.

Palate: The mouthfeel is thick and viscous. Creamy vanilla and white wine grapes. Astringent lemon rind with a touch of espresso meets moderate cinnamon and oak spice. Swishing the whisky yields honey, pear and apple with a delectable salty brine.

Finish: A full medium. Mellow and lingering at the same time. Moderately tannic, leaves oak with dark chocolate and cacao.

Score: 8.7

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Common - Uncommon. Not too hard to find. Bottom line? It's outstanding. I'll be keeping an eye out for Ledaig and Tobermory moving forward especially if I can find some older age statements. I've heard the Ledaig 10yr is now discontinued, but one of my favorite shops still carries it.