Tobermory 17 Year Old 2004 Oloroso Cask

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 17 September 2021). Nose: Hairspray, red summer berries, vanilla, caramel, cream(?), wax and rubber Palate: Toffee, sweet, funky & musty, rubber, oak, summer berries, sherried, spice - allspice & clove Finish: Long finish. Waxy/oily. Orange, citrus, more berries. Leather & tobacco. Baked fruit cake & jam. This is quite a pleasant tasting whisky, but there’s an odd funky, rubbery note throughout that isn’t to my taste. There’s a huge hit of fruit, but this is dampened by the waxiness somewhat. Came joint first out of the six drams, with 29% (6 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. 81% (17 votes) of those present said they enjoyed the whiskey.

Tasted one of the 11,124 bottles. Non-chill filtered, natural color, 55.9% alcohol content. Distilled and placed in Oloroso butts on June 8, 2004. Aged 17 years. Bottled in July 2021. Color: Yellow gold. The color didn't suggest intensity, it wasn't a typical Oloroso. Aroma: Caramel, followed by almond, blackcurrant and slightly spicy. Adding water reveals much more aromatic fruit and a very strong coastal influence. Taste: Strongly sherry influenced, also with tropical fruits, walnut, toffee (toffee), balanced with oak. Finish: Unusually dry, but still long and warming to feel it, nutty with a touch of ginger. For me personally this is one of the best whiskies I tasted this year.

This is bottle can be difficult to find; I had to hunt it down. Based on the recommendations of folks I trust, I had very high hopes for this. It hasn’t hit the mark yet. It has some of the nice funk that you get in Tobermory/Ledaig but it seems a little disjointed. I’ll continue to taste it over time but, with the wonderful Ledaig 18 readily available, hard to recommend chasing this bottle.

Pale amber. Sherry. Spice, mushroom. High alcohol. Strong Sherry, needs ice or water.