Tobermory 21 Years Old 1996 Old Particular (51.5%, Douglas Laing, Refill HH #11768, 290 Bottles, 2017)

• ABV: 51.5%
• Age: 21 Years Old
• Bottling: Douglas Laing, Old Particular, Refill Hogshead #DL11768
• Category: Single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £88
• Origin: Tobermory distillery
• Vintage: 1996

Image courtesy of Master of Malt

What they say

From Douglas Laing’s impressive Old Particular range comes a 21 year old single malt from Tobermory, aged in a refill hogshead from April 1996 to June 2017. 290 bottles of tasty Island whisky were produced.

Master of Malt tasting notes:

• Nose: Digestive biscuits, amaretto, honeydew melon and a pinch of chilli powder.
• Palate: Chewy malt and honey’d porridge, marmalade, old oak furniture.
• Finish: Subtly smoky and coastal.

What I say

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Champagne gold (4/20), medium-fine tears, tapered legs.
• Nose: Dusty and musty, mushroom, damp wood, fruity apple, pear, coffee grounds, toffee, caramelised sugar, malty and toasted barley, key lime pie and lime zest, tropical papaya.
• Taste: Fruity and crystalline, distilled or refined apple and pear juices, crystallized ginger, candied peel, orange zest, must, mushroom soup, slightly ascerbic, old/dried limes.
• Finish: Long, metallic, zinc/copper, sweet. white pepper spice.

Overall

Very drinkable old drying, woody, salty and smokey, musty then tropical. Has plenty of that Tobermory oddness like metallic old radiators, which it teeters on the edge of. The end results gives it a lively kick which resembles freshness for a musty 21 year old.

Score 85/100

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