Excitement on the island is beginning to mount, with whisky production set to recommence this month, and of course the release of the long-awaited 12 Year Old Single Malt, Tobermory’s first new flagship expression in over seven years and our exclusive whisky of the month this August! Great timing! Tobermory was originally founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, under the name Ledaig (pronounced ‘led-chigg’), hence the recently released Ledaig range. Closing in 1837 and reopening in 1878, the distillery was acquired in 1890 by John Hopkins and Company. Today, Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. The distillery has quite a small annual capacity of just one million litres and runs at but three quarters of this. In 1930, the distillery closed and was used as a power plant. It was not the only time Tobermory had been used for purposes other than whisky distillation; in 1982 the buildings were leased to a dairy company who used them for storing cheese. Aside from the island’s strong climatic influence on the whisky, Tobermory’s unique style comes about partially from their relatively short fermentation time, but more so its unusual still design, featuring both boil bulbs and steeply inclined lyne arms that feature an S-shaped kink, giving a heavy reflux as they snake their way to the condenser. The result of this is a more refined spirit than you would get from a more conventional lyne arm. What better way to celebrate a major distillery refurbishment and reopening than with a new whisky, and so Tobermory did just that, starting with the launch of their brand-new flagship 12 Year Old. Set the lofty task of improving on the legendary, but sadly discontinued Tobermory 10 Year Old, legendary whisky maker and motorsport fan Dr Kirstie McCallum went to work knowing full well what a massive responsibility was on her shoulders – to better a whisky with the legendary status of the Tobermory 10. She emerged from the distillery triumphant, the all-new 12 Year Old a classic Tobermory as we know and love, but better. With layer upon layer of fresh citrus, apple and stone fruit over creamy toffee, floral honey and that iconic subtle, salty edge, it’s matured in first-fill American oak ex-Bourbon casks, non-chill filtered, natural colour and bottled at 46.3% ABV.

Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products.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. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”). On the nose: a full-bodied and warming nose reminding me of apple and pear orchards in late summer, when the fruits are ripe, vanilla and cloves, sultanas, brown sugar, some machine oil and a faintly zesty note. This is a very pleasant, well-rounded nose that brings ripe fruits and sweetness.

The refurbishment was primarily focused on ‘improving the visitor experience’ and keeping up with the increasing demands of whisky tourism, so kudos for the Tobermory team for keeping the visitor centre open during this time, but there was a very serious side to the renovation too – the equipment getting a good makeover as well. The stills were replaced, including a new pot still that’s been given the name ‘Big Mary’, and a 60-litre “development” still called ‘Wee Mary’, which has already been put to work making Tobermory’s first-ever gin. A massive improvement and a most welcome replacement of the rather boring Tobermory 10. The 10 was very pleasant on the nose, but the palate and finish were disappointing. (Admittedly, though, aren’t the stories we tell about the rather disappointing whiskies that we had in our glasses part of the fun?) You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. You can easily be enticed by the nose of this single malt. Along with the usual suspects that you find with a lot of scotches such as vanilla, oaky or dried fruit notes, you also get distinct banana and peach aromas. The good thing about this whisky is that these additional characteristics really stand out. Many single malts will describe all sorts of flavour or smell profiles which can be hard to distinguish but these fruity notes really do make their presence known.The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. Set on the water’s edge in the picturesque Tobermory harbour, a stone’s throw from the colourful Tobermory Main Street, the distillery’s history is a long and chequered one, filled with closures, financial woes, and more closures, but all the while held together by the constant thread of a commitment to producing great whisky. It was a short run for Ledaig Distillery though, with doors closing for the first time in 1837, not to open again for some 40 years. After being passed around like a hot potato for a few decades, Ledaig ended up as part of DCL in 1916, who kept it running through to 1930 by which time the Great Depression and the effects of prohibition in the USA took its toll, leading to the distillery’s second 40 year closure.