A bit of a tangent from the normal electronic ink on e-paper content, is a short conversation I had with a work colleague a little over a month ago. It started off with a fun fact, the life expectancy of the average bloke – Eighty! The unorthodox and soon to be dark but interesting verbal tete-a-tete came up when I was replaying my brother’s recent visit during Christmas, a yearly phenomenon, when the family gets to meet and share the warm festive season. Anyways, trying not to stray away, my mate mentioned that by the average life expectancy logic, I had roughly 38 years left, which meant a measly 38 interactions with my younger sibling!

And why do I choose to relay this, mainly because the recent few weeks have been both weary and dispirited. I had lost someone close to me, that it almost seemed hard to believe, leading to what was possibly moments of denial. Now that I reflect on the conversation, it sounded ever more so profound, almost purposeful, and non-coincidental. The moral, you never know until you know, life is short… fill it up with fond memories, life lessons and laughable moments.

And with that, I recede to my thoughts on an expression I had bought just before my brother visited, the Tobemory 12. I did want to have this sooner, preferably with him, but things have a funny way and so here we are…

This one permanently stands as a replacement for the now defunct 10 YO. The Tobemory distillery, situated at the Isle of Mull, is a bit of an unknown, at least it was for me, until I ran into the Ledaig – a well peated dram that knocks your socks off without running away with your wallet.

Opened in 1789, the distillery has had its fair share of ups and downs, like most others, but was more recently shut between 2017 and 2019 on account of a few renovations. The Tobemory 12 is the more subtle of the two expressions; this an un-peated dram that is matured in a combination of first fill American oak and ex-bourbon barrels for a minimum of 12 years. The bottle shares a similar contour like its peated brethren, but with a green-white boxing and a rather simple like demeanor.

ABV : 46.3%

Eye :  | Natural Colouring | Non Chill Filtered

Nose : Vanilla with a pinch of brine; woody on the nose, there’s tropical fruits, green apples and a host of spices, cinnamon, pepper and mild herbal nuances.

Taste : Caramel and honey, with charred melons and wood. Hints of coastal influences, some fruity sweetness and spicy undertones, licorice, bay leaves and pepper.

Finish : Medium |Sweet with a hint of spice, mildly earthy.

The Tobemory is a one dimensional dram that offers a well scripted scene but lacks delivery and drama. There’s spice, there’s sweetness but it does not draw the same parallels as it’s louder, prominent and more  “rough around the edge” sibling. I did wish for more complexity – greater depth and an inch more of breadth, and while it did fair well at first, it tripped and fell.

Falling somewhere in between near expensive and quite expensive, is this AUD $110 dram! A 12 YO dram like this shouldn’t really command such a price, stripping the value for money tag along with it! I’m still a fan of the distillery and the expression is decent, simple, serving purpose and true to what the distillers promise, “Gently sweet, un-peated and floral” . But points go to the Ledaig, I’m sticking true with that one!

Slainte!

Fun fact: Tobermory gets its name from the gaelic ‘Tobar Mhoire’ meaning Mary’s Well. Mary’s Well and Mary’s Chapel dated back to the Medieval period, with the water from the well said to possess medicinal properties. Forward to today, both the well and the chapel are long gone, but in place was built a monument on the approximate site of the well. (Source –  tobemory.co.uk)