Tobermory 21 Years Old 1995 (Small Batch)

Cadenhead's bottled this Tobermory, a 21 year old release from 1995 and bottled at 52.5%. A release of 450 bottles. Made on the Isle of Mull, Tobermory is the unpeated single malt of the island's sole distillery. Ledaig, the old name kept for the peated malt, means safe haven in Gaelic.

It was made in the high reflux stills from unpeated barley, for a fruity, waxy make with a green lift. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak for a honeyed sweetness. At this age it is rich and oily, the fruit folded into a waxy, honeyed body. A waxy texture carries the cask flavour across long years. A rare, more heavily peated make has appeared under the name Iona, after a neighbouring isle. In dry summers the distillery has paused when its hill loch ran low. The distillery sits at the head of the bay, beneath a steep wooded hill. Both malts feed the Scottish Leader and Black Bottle blends as well as single malt.

At a full 52.5% it is intense and layered. Pear, oily malt and a green note, and the ex-Bourbon lends vanilla and a soft honey. A green note and a gentle spice give it depth. A long, oily finish ends on orchard fruit. This is the fruity side of the Isle of Mull's distillery.