Tobermory 10 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Island - Mull

Brand: Tobermory 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 46.3 %

Date: 03/01/2014

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Light, Crisp, Fruity and reasonably well-balanced. I find Apple, Canned Fruit Syrup, Pear, Marzipan, Dirt Track, Lemon, Heather, Honey, Malt, Buttered Toast, Oat Meal, Caramel, Mint, Toffee, light Oak, Nut Shells, Grass, Straw, light Vegetable tones, Vanilla and Soft Spices. The Alcohol is not completely integrated. The Nose is the best part of the Tobermory 10. Much better than the old 40% 10 Years OB.

Palate: Light, mainly Sweet but also slightly Bitter with Barley-Sugar, Banana, Canned Fruit, Honey, Vanilla, Oak, Licorice, Nut Shells, Pepper and Lemon. Like with the Nose, I have the sensation of walking on a Dusty Dirt Track when tasting the Tobermory 10. It's not really unpleasant though.

Finish: Short, Waxy and a bit Ashy towards the end. I find Lemon, Herbs, Malt, Pepper, Earth, Nuts and a pinch of Salt. This is the weaker part of this Malt. 

I added a bit of Water and you get more Sweet Barley, Butter and Vanilla on the Nose. You also get some extra Fruit on the Palate. The Finish however weakens even further with added Water. You can carefully experiment with a few drops at the time. 

Rating: 81.5

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20- Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Tobermory Distillery is located on the Hebridean Island of Mull. It was formerly named Ledaig and was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair. Today it is owned by Distell Group Ltd, South Africa that bought Burn Stewart Distillers. The Distillery produces unpeated Malt under the name Tobermory and peated Malt under the old Distillery name Ledaig. The whisky is mainly used in blends like Black Bottle and Scottish Leader. But more attention is given to their Single Malts as well. Nowadays, the Tobermory 10 Years OB is not Chill-Filtered, Naturally Coloured and is bottled at a higher than usual ABV. These are all very positive points. It is priced at around 55 US Dollars. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: I believe that Tobermory is on the right track with their standard OB 10 Years. Good ABV, Natural Colour and Non Chill-Filtration. And a very nice 

packaging and bottle as well. The Nose of the 10 Years is quite promising and much better than the old 10 Years with the 40% ABV. It's Crisp and Fruity and has a nice balance. On the Palate and in the Finish there is room for further improvement, probably via Cask Management. I will certainly follow Tobermory with great interest in the coming years! 

Jan van den Ende                                                         January 2014 

Ardbeg Uigeadail 2012 Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Ardbeg Uigeadail (Bottled 2012)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 54.2 %

Colour: Amber

Nose: Give the Uigeadail sufficient time in the glass. At first I get loads of Earthy Juicy Peat accompanied by Smoked Meat, Bacon, Fish-Oil, Tar, Leather, Rum-Soaked Fruit Cake, Pepper and Salt. But be patient because this Ardbeg has more to offer. After a while I find Raisins, Espresso, Chocolate/Cocoa, Toffee, Caramel, Brown Sugar, a little Sherry, Malt and Cigar Ashes. The ABV is a bit too high perhaps and the Alcohol is not completely integrated. But other than that the Uigeadail is nicely balanced and comfortable on the Nose.      

Palate: Juicy Peat, Creamy Barley, BBQ Smoke, Tar, Leather, Oak, Sweet Dark Fruits, Honey, Bacon, light Medicinal tones, Pepper, Cinnamon, Lemon, Sherry and a hint of Chocolate. This is Ardbeg at its best!

Finish: Very Long, Sweet at first but Dry later on. Juicy Peat, Earth, Caramel, Sweet Barley, Brown Sugar, Espresso, light Licorice, Cigar Ashes, White Pepper, BBQ Smoke and Toast with a nice slice of Bacon.

With a bit of Water the Nose gets more Honey and Dark Fruits (Prunes). Honey and Sweet Peat are reinforced on the palate but the Finish becomes shorter and not quite that expressive. Better sip the Uigeadail neat!

Rating: 92.5

Nose: 23 - Taste: 23.5 - Finish: 23 - Overall: 23

General Remarks: The Ardbeg (Little Height in Gaelic) Distillery is located on the South Coast of the Isle of Islay. The Distillery was founded in 1794 and commercial production started in 1815. It was closed between 1981 and 1989 after which it produced on a low scale until 1997 when it was bought by Glenmorangie Plc, part of the French LVMH Group. The Uigeadail takes it name from the loch that provides the Distillery with the peated Water. Uigeadail means Dark and Mysterious Place in Gaelic. It matures in a mix of Ex-Bourbon Casks and Ex-Sherry Butts and is married before bottling.The whisky is not Chill-Filtered and (in this case) bottled at Cask Strength in November 2012. It costs around 90 US Dollars, an excellent Price/Quality ratio.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Good/Excellent  

Conclusion: Ardbeg is certainly one of my favourite distilleries. Both the 10 Years and the Supernova 2010 are charted high in my Top 20 so far. But the Uigeadail seems to take the best of those two whiskies and add even more complexity and balance. Coastal, Floral and Fruity tones are in near perfect harmony. And despite its complexity it remains utterly drinkable as well! This could have scored even higher if the Uigeadail had been bottled at a slightly lower ABV. I think that anything between 46 and 50% would have been sufficient. Of course you can add a little Water but I'm not a great fan of that. Because in doing so you might make it easier to appreciate the Uigeadail but at the same time you alter the Spirit. I prefer to judge the whisky the way it is presented by the makers. But all in all this is a great Single Malt and it goes right to the # 1 spot in the Complete Ranking so far. What a great way to start 2014!

Ardbeg Uigeadail 2017

In the beginning of 2018 I had the chance to taste a dram of an Uigeadail that was bottled in 2017. For sure this expression has changed. It's less complex and shows more Peat and Spices. The Finish is a lot shorter than it was before. It's still a nice Whisky but the magic is gone. I would assume that the lack of good Bourbon and Sherry casks has hit the Uigeadail as well. Based on the sample I would rate the 2017 expression as follows:

Rating: 86.5

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 22

Jan van den Ende                                                                      January 1, 2014

 

I would like to wish all my readers and Whisky Friends a very Happy, Healthy, Meaningful and Caring 2014.

May All Your Drams Come Through!