Simon Tastes: Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tobermory 2008 13 Year Old Scotch Whisky

It's been more than a little while between tasting notes! Apologies for that! So I thought I'd kick off with a belter.

My Grandmothers maiden name was 'McLean', so I've always had more than a soft spot for Tobermory distillery, found on the isle of Mull, the ancestorial home of the clan. A distillery with a checkered history, having been closed 4 times in it's long history (the Wiki page is a good quick read on the background). Malt wise Tobermory has a reputation for producing a slightly 'funky' style with it's most popular and sought after expressions having a time in ex-Olorosso or PX sherry casks.

This one from Carn Mor was distilled in 2008, bottled in 2021 and finished in virgin oak. Unfortunately we don't know much more than that. The increasing prevalence of virgin oak is interesting, but needs to be well managed given the potential to extract an excess of tannin. 

The nose on this one is typical of Tobermory, with its honeyed dank dunnage warehouse aroma rising from the glass.  There's also a touch of woody notes, but pleasantly more in the cedar/oak camp than overt vanilla. Nuts sit comfortably with the digestive biscuity malt and some over ripe stone fruit are there too, leaving the overall impression of a complex, but well put-together and balanced malt. 

There is a fantastic oily texture on the palate, that is bursting with pops of ginger and nutmeg spice from the virgin oak. Some dark chocolate notes are a pleasant surprise, given they didn't appear to me on the nose. All the notes on the nose are certainly still present on the palate, but nothing dominates making for a very balanced and pleasant profile. The finish is long, no doubt helped along by the gorgeous oily texture that stays on the tongue for days.

This is certainly my style of malt, reflected by the fact the sample bottle is down to the last 20% within the first week of landing. Overall this is a malt that fans of the Tobermory style are going to be more than happy with.