Tobermory 10 Year Old (old presentation)

A little while ago I reviewed an independent bottling of Ledaig (one of two expressions coming out of Tobermory Distillery on the Isle of Mull). I wish I had saved some so that I could do a side-by-side comparison with this, the standard Tobermory bottling.

Apparently, before 2010, most considered this expression to be very substandard. But that year, under master distiller Ian Macmillan, the ABV was increased from 40% to 46.3%, and the process of chill filtering was removed (at 46% the whisky will not become cloudy when ice is added, so chill filtering is not necessary to prevent that from happening. Not that it matters a whit.) I haven't tried this earlier bottling so I can't compare, but my understanding it is a huge improvement. This bottling is also of natural colour.

Which is a very pale yellow. Very herbal on the nose (with mint and sage), grassy, all enveloped by peat with a wisp of smoke. Slightly medicinal. A sweet maltiness. Water brings out more vegetal peat notes (though I accidentally poured a bit more water than I wanted to).

The palate is salty, briny, and definitely has a bit of bite to it. Quite a bit of citrus. Slightly rubbery, in a good way. Definite Island character. Water ups the salt, to the point of being a little overpowering, unfortunately.

The finish is medium length but tight. Slight hint of bacon fat at the very end, which is interesting. While this is not a spectacular malt, it certainly does express the terroir of an Island distillery - sampling this was a Talisker or an Islay would be interesting, though I fear this one would likely come up short. It's not a dram you can have too much of - it is rather tight and a little too briny. I preferred the Ledaig because the heavier phenols carried it better and added something more distinctive.

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