Origin: Isle of Mull (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 49.8%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Wine
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Aceo Ltd.
Average price: € 290.00
Official website: www.murray-mcdavid.com
Part of the autumn 2024 edition of the independent bottler’s Mission Gold series, this Tobermory spent its first years maturing in ex-bourbon casks in its own warehouses, arriving in 2014 at those of the Coleburn distillery, where Murray McDavid’s malts rest, and re-racked into red wine barriques under the supervision of Jim McEvan, with 573 bottles produced as of October 2024.
Tasting Notes
The nose is more ex-sherry than ex-wine, Oloroso to be precise, with the sweet dryness that these casks can give the distillate, between dried (plum, sultana, apricot and date), candied (orange peel, cherry), and jammed fruit (blackberry) and nuts (almond, macadamia), combined with sweet liquorice, muscovado sugar, aged balsamic vinegar and a vein between mineral and musty. Hints of pineapple, red fruits and milk chocolate, and finally a metallic, oxidised copper edge. Rich and elegant, as befits a malt almost 30 years old, warm and enveloping.
On the palate, it becomes darker, accentuating the chocolate and liquorice components, with a distinct spicy note of black pepper and chilli, not overpowering, which emphasises the fruit, which is declined in its different consistencies, giving greater prominence to the red fruit and candied pineapple. Citrus fruits in depth (blood orange, bergamot) with carob, almond, cinchona and again the metallic and mineral vein that stands at the bottom of the drink. A salty note remains on the lips.
The finish is quite long, with the salty tones punctuating bitter and fruity notes, with the metallic part sealing it all.
A little disappointing in the drink, less rich and deep than a truly magnificent and full nose, leaving a little (literally) bitterness in the mouth for what could have been an exceptional malt and is ‘just’ good.
Vote: 88/100