Scotch whisky is made all over Scotland and that includes its many islands. Islay gets all the glory because it's its own region and the sheer number of distilleries there, but others deserve call-outs too. The 'Islands' region of Scotland is not officially recognized by the Scotch Whisky Association (instead placed within Highland) but you still often see those distilleries grouped together. They include Arran (Isle of Arran), Jura (Isle of Jura), Tobermory (Isle of Mull), and Talisker (Isle of Skye), all off the mainland's west coast. The Orkneys, directly north of Britain, also contain two well known distilleries, Highland Park and Scapa. Today we're taking a little closer look at Tobermory on Mull.
Tobermory distillery dates to 1798 and was originally known as Ledaig, meaning 'safe haven.' Located in the village of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, the founder was not legally allowed to distill due to war and the government's desire to preserve grain. He was, however, encouraged to build a brewery and decided to go ahead and build the distillery anyway. It was eventually licensed in 1823 and the surviving buildings date that far back. Considering the rest of its history I'm somewhat surprised the distillery has survived to today. Production stopped in 1838 and it was unsuccessfully put up for sale in 1844 and 1849. It did sell in 1876 and spirit-making resumed in 1879 before the new owners went bankrupt in 1887, prompting another sale. It had to deal with Prohibition in the 1930s and was shuttered for another 40 years. After reopening again in the 1970s they ran out of storage space and in the 80s entirely demolished the warehouses to build housing, requiring maturation at another distillery. There have been some more recent short term closures as well, though various improvements have been made since the 90s. The current owners, Burn Stewart Distillers, bought Tobermory in 1993 and were acquired themselves in 2013 by South African firm Distell Group Limited, who also own Deanston (Highland) and Bunnahabhain (Islay).
My wife and I did not visit the Isle of Mull on either of our trips to Scotland, though it seems like a fun place to check out. Tobermory has a population of only 1000 and some very attractive colorful buildings along its waterfront near where the distillery is housed. To get to the island you need to take a CalMac ferry. If coming from the south, one departs from the village of Oban. Another departs from the village of Kilchoan, north of Mull, and drops off directly in Tobermory. With several daily departures in each direction Mull could easily be a day-trip from the mainland.
At Tobermory distillery they make malt whisky, surprise surprise. Some of the whisky goes into blends made by other companies and some is bottled and sold as single malts. The distillery utilizes two brands for their single malts. The more prominent brand is un-peated 'Tobermory,' which currently has a core range of expressions aged 12 and 23 years. The other brand, with more limited production, is peated to 30-40 ppm (comparable to many Islays) and called 'Ledaig,' recalling the long-time previous name of the distillery. The Ledaig core range is 10 and 18 years. It was the 18 year sample during 2020 Whiskey Advent that made me aware of this brand and curious about the 10 year. In addition to whisky Tobermory also distills gin, something that seems increasingly common.
The bottle being examined today is Ledaig Aged 10 Years, Single Malt Scotch Whisky. More than anything I wanted to try this because it's a relatively highly peated whisky from somewhere other than Islay. The 18 year was intriguing but is old and expensive and is aged extensively in Sherry casks. This one is a 10 year and exclusively matured in Bourbon oak, a positive in both respects as it's cheaper and avoids concerns about potentially overwhelming Sherry flavors. In the end my wife, lover of all things peat, will be ultimate judge whether or not it deserves another purchase. In trying to look at pricing I'm learning this may be a hard-ish one to locate, as the previously noted limited production appears to be a real thing. I believe I purchased it from Flaviar when I was still a member.
ABV - 46.3% (92.6 proof)
Mash - 100% malted barley
Maturation - ex-Bourbon oak barrels
Age - 10 years+
Region - Islands (Mull), technically Highland region
Price - $55-60
Tasting Notes:
Nose - Clear but mellow peat smoke, antiseptic, floral
Color - Light amber, almost yellowish
Taste - Medicinal, some sweetness, pepper, sea brine, malt and smoke
Finish - Bit of a bite for sub-100 proof, pepper and peat hang around forever
Final Thoughts:
This stuff is honestly fantastic. It's a dram I'm loving more and more as I try to discover everything it has to offer. It's wonderfully complex and the peat, while very apparent, is a bit muted considering the PPM and allows other flavors to shine. I'd recommend this to any peat lover (looking at you Tate and Ean), if you spot it of course.
As for my wife, she says she'd drink it anytime but it won't displace her favorites, namely Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10. She can't be faulted for that, and since those are both far easier to find and usually cheaper as well that's probably for the best. I myself may prefer this to Laphroaig, but not Ardbeg. Either way it's comparable. And that's a massive compliment.
Cheers!
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