Tobermory 1972 32 YO Oloroso Cask Finish - Distillery Exclusive
Tobermory 1972 32 YO Oloroso Cask Finish - Distillery Exclusive, 49,5 %
I present to you another Distillery Exclusive from Tobermory. This whisky was distilled in 1972, and bottled on May 14, 2010. It still says 32 YO, and the reason is that the whisky was transferred to a sealed cask (glass? steel?) in 2005. It was probably the same batch as the 'other' Tobermory 1972 32 YO, which you can still find a few bottles of online (The Whisky Exchange sells this for GBP 350).
Anyways, the Tobermory 1972 32 YO Oloroso Cask Finish - Distillery Exclusive was a limited release of 886 bottles. Only sold at the distillery, and now sadly sold out.
The distillery only has a very few casks (I believe they mentioned three!) from 1972. Beyond that the oldest casks they have in their warehouses are from the early 1990s. The reason for this being the rather 'turbulent' history of the distillery. It was established in 1798, closed in 1930 and remained closed until 1971. Production started again, but the distillery would continue to close and re-open, and change owners throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Then in 1991 Burn Stewart bought the distillery and the they have been in production ever since. The previous owners sold off a lot of the new make to make money quick. They also sold off the warehouses to make room for housing. All in all that did not leave much old stock. This all makes a 32 yo Tobermory a very rare product.
There is talk of a new single cask 1972 vintage release shortly. This will probably be a very expensive bottling.
Nose (22/25): Reminds me of the 20 YO distillery exclusive they currently sell. This one is clearly older, however. There's more oak notes here, more caramel and some dry sawdust.
Taste (21/25): Oak and caramel. It is quite dry, with lots of tannins - maybe a bit too much. It seems to me this should have been bottled maybe a year or two earlier.
Finish (21/25): Pepper, oak, and caramel. Long and warm. It has more pronounced sherry notes now on the finish.
Balance (21/25): I must say I much preferred the younger distillery exclusives from Tobermory. This one does seem a bit over-aged, but it is still a very nice dram.
Score (85/100)
Bottle image from Whiskybase.
Sláinte! - Thomas
