Tobermory 27-year-old

It is rare to find the fifth instalment of a pentalogy able to deliver with the same verve and quality as the first – although it is no surprise to me that Julieann Fernandez and her team on Mull are up to the task. As with previous iterations in this Hebridean series, the base whisky was distilled in 1996 and mostly bottled as the much loved fifteen-year-old release with a portion laid for further ageing into ex-Oloroso Sherry Gonzalez Byass casks.A nourishing dozen years later we now find a whisky of the very highest calibre. I find prune, fresh (as opposed to cupboard-weary) cinnamon sticks, sweet tobacco and some immensely pleasing glimpses of malt sweetness. A very classy whisky and yet another winning example of how this distillery keeps growing from strength to strength. I’ll be drinking mine with leftover mince pies I had the foresight to stockpile in readiness! Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (February 2025)