Tobermory 1994 Ch7 (Chapter 7 (Ch7))

Single malt Tobermory, picked by Chapter 7 (Ch7), a 28 year old from 1994, drawn from cask 381005 and bottled at 52%. A release of 253 bottles. Made on the Isle of Mull, Tobermory is the unpeated single malt of the island's sole distillery. The distillery makes two malts: the unpeated Tobermory and the peated Ledaig.

It was distilled in the kinked copper stills for a fruity spirit, building the oily Tobermory style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, vanilla under the orchard fruit. At over thirty years it is rich and waxy, tropical fruit, honey and old oak. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, waxy core over time. The town of Tobermory was laid out by the British Fisheries Society a decade before the distillery came. The distillery's history is broken by long silences; its buildings once stored a local cheddar. Burn Stewart revived production in 1993, and Distell bought the distillery in 2013.

Undiluted at 52%, it is powerful. Honey, wax and a soft nut, and honeyed vanilla comes through from the ex-Bourbon. It is fruity and full, the oily spirit shining through. It finishes fruity, oily and warming. This is an unpeated malt from Mull's only distillery.