Tobermory is one of those distilleries that rewards a closer look, especially when you bring together a modern core bottling and a pair of older independent releases. The 12-year-old gives a useful snapshot of the distillery’s style today, while the 1995 Hidden Spirits and the 1994 unpeated Ledaig bottled by Spirit Stock offer two very different windows into its older character, one leaning toward Tobermory’s gentler, fruitier side and the other toward the more farmy, smoky identity associated with Ledaig… even though it will be an unpeated one here. Will it be as good as the one we reviewed last year?
Taken together, these three drams make for an especially interesting flight because they show how much personality can shift with age, cask selection, and whether the spirit was made in the peated or unpeated style. Rather than reading like a simple vertical, this tasting becomes a small study in distillery character, independent bottling influence, and the subtle split between Tobermory and Ledaig.
Tobermory 12-year-old (2021) Review
Tobermory 12 is the unpeated flagship from the Isle of Mull distillery, matured in ex-bourbon casks and virgin oak, bottled non-chillfiltered at 46.3% ABV with natural colour. This being a core range expression from Tobermory, this is widely available: about £40 in the UK, €50 in Europe and under $100 in the US.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: Citrus and orange dominate, with floral hints, vanilla fudge, honey and caramelised apple. Chocolate cake, marzipan, baked pears, cloves and light maritime salt add layers to a nice nose.
Palate:
Neat: Creamy and sweet with orange, caramel, vanilla and cinnamon and clove spices. Barley, sultanas, apple crumble, peppery oak and subtle salinity follow, with an underlying sweetness.
Finish:
Long, lingering vanilla, spice, oak and a touch of salt, ginger and caramel.
Comments:
Nice and inoffensive, this Tobermory 12-year-old is impeccably made and well balanced, yet it lacks that spark of character needed to truly shine. However, this can make a really nice everyday dram.
Rating: 6/10
Tobermory 1995 Hidden Spirits (2020) Review
This 25-year-old Tobermory single malt is, in fact, an unpeated Ledaig, distilled in 1995. It matured for 20 years in an refill ex-bourbon hogshead, before being bottled by Hidden Spirits at natural strength 50.2% ABV (248 bottles). This release is sold out.
Colour:
Pale gold.
Nose:
Neat: Tropical passion fruit bursts first, evoking Caribbean beaches over Mull’s maritime air, with apple and pear under spirits. Pepper, thyme, dry fruit/nuts, digestive biscuits, dry leaves, vanilla cream, almonds and light wood follow.
With water: Tropical fruit softens; brighter apple, pear, vanilla cream and peppery/herbal notes emerge.
Palate:
Neat: Peppery opening echoes the nose but is less intense: apple/pear spirits, passion fruit, light wood, almond cream, orange peel and peach. The farmy character from Ledaig comes through, and despite this whisky being unpeated, you’d think it slightly is anyway.
With water: Smoother with enhanced fruit spirits, almond cream, orange peel and peach; pepper eases.
Finish:
Long and spicy, with white-fleshed fruit under spirits and passion fruit.
Comments:
This unpeated Ledaig from 1995, bottled by Hidden Spirit, is a very fine dram. Even without peat, it retains that unmistakable farmyard character—and perhaps it’s autosuggestion, but I’d swear there’s just a whisper of smoke lingering. In any case, a really good whisky.
Rating: 7.5/10
Tobermory 1994 Spirit Stock (2019) Review
This independent bottling of unpeated Tobermory was distilled on the first of December 1994, matured in a sherry butt, and bottled by German bottler Spirit Stock on the 12th of March 2019 at 55.3% ABV, non-chillfiltered with natural colour. Like the Hidden Spirit one, this is sold out.
Colour:
Chestnut.
Nose:
Neat: Red fruits like strawberry and grapes shine with ginger ale, earthy dunnage, hay and coastal kelp/wet stones. Great balance of cask and spirit, with dry leaves and vanilla cream.
With water: Fruits brighten, while earthiness and coastal salinity integrate more smoothly. However, the sherry feels more modern and the nose becomes a little harsh.
Palate:
Neat: Delivers precisely what the nose promises: red fruits, ginger spice, dirty/smoky earthiness and coastal notes. Spicy and filled sultanas and dried gooseberries. Nice creamy mouthfeel. A touch of oak.
With water: Softer and more balanced, taming spice while preserving fruit and earth. The sherry gets beautiful and deep, with rancio, dried red fruits and caramel, whilst the oak disappears.
Finish:
Long with sultanas, dried gooseberries and lingering spices.
Comments:
Really nice neat; this Tobermory shows a modern sherry character on the nose, especially after dilution. A few drops of water also elevate the palate to a superb level, bringing remarkable harmony and depth. The starting ABV being high enough, this leaves you enough room to play around with the pipette and find the right amount to suit your preferences.