Mull’s Finest 2014 MM (Murray McDavid)

Single malt Tobermory, an independent Murray McDavid bottling, aged 10 year old from 2014 and bottled at 52.9%. 647 bottles in all. Tobermory is the fruity, unpeated side of the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. The distillery was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, a local kelp merchant, as the Ledaig distillery.

The spirit was distilled in the kinked copper stills for a fruity spirit, building the oily Tobermory style. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak for a honeyed sweetness. Younger here, it keeps a fruity, oily freshness with a herbal lift. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the fruity, waxy core over time. Tobermory has distilled in the island's harbour town since 1798. 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.

At a full 52.9% it is intense and layered. Honey, wax and a soft nut, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle honey. A green note and a gentle spice give it depth. The finish is deep, waxy and nutty. This is an unpeated malt from Mull's only distillery.