Tobermory 25 Years Old 1996 (East Village Whisky Company)

This is a Tobermory, drawn and bottled by East Village Whisky Company, a 25 year old release from 1996 and bottled at 51.3%. Only 242 bottles were released. 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 worked through the boil ball stills for an oily, fruity make, for the waxy, fruity spirit Tobermory is known for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the fruit. At this age it is rich and oily, the fruit folded into a waxy, honeyed body. Coastal warehousing lends a mineral edge to the fruity malt. Burn Stewart revived production in 1993, and Distell bought the distillery in 2013. The stills carry boil bulbs and a kink in the lyne arms, which lifts the reflux. Water is drawn from a private hill loch, the Gearr Abhainn, above the town.

Bottled at a cask strength 51.3%, it is intense. A fruity, waxy sweetness, and the bourbon cask adds vanilla and a gentle honey. Soft orchard fruit and wax sit behind the cask. The finish runs fruity, nutty and warm. This is a waxy, fruity island single malt.