Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Tobermory.

Bottler: Single Cask Nation.

Region: Islands (Mull), Scotland.

ABV: 55.7%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 2008. Bottled in 2024.

Cask type: Refill bourbon (13 years), refill French oak barrique (3 years).

Price: £75 GBP for 700mL.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 9 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: oatmeal with cinnamon, pears, green melon, brown sugar, some more cereal notes, nutmeg.

Palate: rich and unctuous ~ more pear and melon, oak spice, white pepper, cream, white grapes.

Finish: medium length ~ dead leaves, more white pepper and cinnamon, minerals, quite drying, oak tannins come forward, cloves.

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Thoughts: This Single Cask Nation release immediately caught my attention due to the refill French oak involved (and the reasonable price for the age, and remembering that SCN’s founders Joshua and Jason raved about it on their padcost, One Nation Under Whisky.) I’ve had one Tobermory I’ve really loved amongst the unpeated ones I’ve tried, most of what I’ve bought and really enjoyed has been from the peated Ledaig side of the distillery. 

This 16-year-old was a breakfast whisky bar none… not exactly one to pair with breakfast, but rather to remind one of breakfast with its straight-up cereal-with-fruit profile dead center. The French oak contributes a nice dose of pepper and brown sugar to the mix. SCN rarely misses for my palate, but I think for the age and casking I expected something more complex than this—it’s relatively straightforward but still quite tasty. It seems so unfair to say my expectations were too high and I was disappointed not to be blown away by it, but there we are.

Final Score: 84.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.