Tobermory 21-year-old

Name: Tobermory 21-year-old
Brand: Tobermory
SKU: 104713
Rating: 87.53 (83 reviews)

Overall rating: 87.53/100
votes: 83

Whiskybase ID: WB104713
Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Tobermory
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie: Oloroso Finish
Stated Age: 21 years old
Casktype: Oloroso Sherry Casks Finish
Strength: 46.3 % Vol.
Size: 700 ml
Bottle code: 1690407L15571730A
Barcode: 5029704218691
Added on: 09 dec 2017 10:42 am by whisk-O-thek

Average value

€ 202.89

Found 26 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 152.95

	The Whisky Exchange	£ 195.00

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Whisky Reviews for Tobermory 21-year-old

12 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 87.53 points

Totoro scored this whisky 87 points
04 feb 2019 7:40 pm
Very nice synthesis of yeasty, saline distillery character and sour/savory notes of refill Oloroso. Beautifully done. No bitter tannins that would suggest they've used the finish merely to spruce up substandard casks. Still hugely overpriced though, especially since this isn't cask strength and there are comparable Indies out there for 2/3 to 1/2 the asking price: see for instance WID #118304.

Nose

Simultaneously yeasty/fermentary and savory/sour. Herbal and spicy with distinct salinity. The sherry is not intrusive or even prominent but blends in beautifully with meaty/nutty refill notes. Very good, especially if you like the funky characteristics of the Tobermory distillate and cherish umami and nutty notes rather than overt fruitiness.

Taste

Soft yet outspoken; the ABV is juuuust right. Smooth start, then things get more juicy, intense, and spicy. Builds up nicely, with umami and sour notes appearing first, swiftly followed by a burst of juicy red fruits and appealing acidity on the mid-palate; then it's back to savory again, with an added spicy component from the wood. No bitterness at all, and no overt woody taste either. It remains very juicy, chewy, and yummy. Excellent job on the sherry finish, which never feels tacked on.

Finish

The weak point. Goes down nicely, but then it's over rather quickly, with little to no lingering aftertaste. Perhaps, with much goodwill, faint sensory memories of fennel and soup stock. A front-loaded malt if there ever was one.
Moses scored this whisky 86 points
31 oct 2021 5:12 am
You can't go wrong here. A great malt with a good PLV from this house. Even against the 23 he looks good and clearly shows how it is possible to make an upscale 21 whisky for the normal budget. So if you are pondering between these two, I can confidently say: “If you are looking for a good Tobermory, you should grab the 21. For me this 10cl sample was a pleasure.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to Jochen.

Nose

A Tobermory nose by recipe and the sherry is well placed as expected. Sweet, sour, and fresh sea air. In addition, there are a few musty wooden boxes from the cheese dairy in the neighborhood. It's not necessarily "my" nose, but there is nothing to complain about here. The gentlemen have conjured it up to the point. Praise to the professional archive.

Taste

The palate continues to play this game of "bottle for the world" and delivers the full standard of sherry recipe without any errors. In all grades, however, it always falls short of my expectations. But it's just my very personal impression. My expectation was too high. The fact is: it is a great malt. Period. The transition is dusty, nutty with fine espresso notes.

Finish

Medium to long he lets go slowly and keeps these umami sherry notes present in the background and leaves no negative thoughts behind. The fact is: it always works!
Der Franke scored this whisky 87 points
28 jul 2022 7:39 pm
Nose

88 88

Taste

87 87

Finish

86 86
glen efze scored this whisky 86 points
04 jul 2022 9:45 am
A 21 year old Tobermory with an Oloroso finish, that's promising. The whisky is still available in a number of shops - at prices of 150 - 200 €. That's daunting and ambitious. Sure, the whisky is 21 years old, that costs money today. But why actually, is the quality actually so much better - or is it just that old whisky is somehow rare? Then it would at least not be worth buying it for pleasure reasons. And whether a 21-year-old Tobermory from the Core Range is actually a good investment remains to be seen.

It is bottled with the usual 46.3% vol., according to the label it is un-chillfiltered. No information is given about the colour. It's not all that edifying - but maybe it makes up for it in taste.

www.glen-efze.de

Nose

The aroma in the nosing is nice, there are older sherry tones that are spicy with notes of dark forest honey, there is a restrained sweetness that does not oversaturate the aromas, the fruits are ripe, dark and already somewhat dried with slight fermentation. And underneath is a solid foundation of wood and nutty spice. That is beautiful. But it's also somewhat fleeting and not really powerful.

Taste

In terms of taste, the alcohol gives the whisky a powerful start, which the aromas unfortunately do not fully follow. The whisky has nutty spiciness, it has some oak and sherry but can't really play that out and bring it out. The handbrake stays on and the feeling that something else has to come, which unfortunately doesn't happen.

Finish

A bit of old sherry lingers on the palate in the aftertaste – but is that really good sherry? A little more oak could make this note rounder and give it more power. Overall, the aftertaste is too weak for 21 years.

You can't really ignore the price when evaluating a whisky. This Tobermory cannot be had for under €150. And it's not worth that price. He's too thin for that, his age is somehow there, but he can't show off. Perhaps that is the dilemma of the massive price increases in recent years: the quality of the whiskys can no longer keep up with the price, expectations rise with the prices and disappointment is inevitable. It's a pity, but this whisky is also disappointing and not worth the asking price.
Tangtang_WhiskyYoda scored this whisky 88 points
01 jan 2022 5:06 pm
balanced and tasty tobermory.
Nice profile on the nose and on the palate.
In the finish, however, rather weak as it is not very complex and quite short.

Nose

89 89

light sherry notes at the beginning, then salty, but also chocolatey and dark fruity. slightly spicy oak, leather, nutty, nice and soft

Taste

88 88

nice, somewhat salty start paired with fruity aromas of the sherry barrel, spicy oak, acidic but still pleasant, leather, slightly nutty

Finish

86 86

sour salty with a brief hint of sherry aromas.
Then unfortunately quickly subsided. Rather short to medium long.
claymore84 scored this whisky 85 points
16 sep 2021 7:58 pm

Tasted on 09-15-2021 in Bergisch Gladbach.
ThorinOakshield scored this whisky 79 points
26 jul 2021 9:00 am

for me it smelled weird... saying smelled to me like an old house, or wet cardboard . Taste is more than ok, but not really my cup of tea
Calmar scored this whisky 90 points
06 may 2021 10:07 am
A good representative of a dry and tart variety of sherry aging, austere, well-balanced whisky, the aroma came out the most successful, with a rich palette of derivatives, a large number of shades and undertones; taste / finish are one step lower, but this does not violate the overall harmony.

Nose

Discreet, damp, old furniture lacquer, dusty wood, dry medicinal herbs, coated tablets, old leather goods, raisins, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, earthy notes, a little cardboard, floral shades.

Taste

Calm, rich, old furniture, old leather goods, burnt rusks, coffee, dried fruits, dark chocolate, caustic mineral-metallic notes, pu-erh.

Finish

Spicy, warming, burnt caramel, dried fruit, stout, earthy notes, ginger, tobacco.
Kuba9712 scored this whisky 89 points
25 jan 2020 9:44 am
Nose

89 89

Taste

90 90

Finish

88 88
ffmdino did not rate this whisky
15 jan 2020 11:18 pm
fair puddle
Direct comparison to other Tobermorys
what a cool malt I like

Nose

tart, old oak becomes more, polish, nutty

very later: light cheese

Taste

full and strong on the palate
dark, old oak !!, good sherry !!, walnut, polish again, slightly dusty, coffee / espresso, dark chocolate (60%)

Finish

long
tart, nutty becomes more, old oak, spicy, warm, espresso, dark chocolate (so 50-60%)
gallfux did not rate this whisky
24 may 2019 10:48 pm

This is different from 21yo Manzanilla (WID: 91990). He looks darker and heavier in the nose and mouth. In addition, he also has such notes that remind me of my already emptied large bottle of the 15yo (WID 2948). I'll describe it with oranges, cloves and leather. I can not name it properly. But there are just notes in it that I totally agree with. They are especially noticeable in the mouth. The oak is more intense than the 21yo manzanilla.
I like that. Unfortunately, no bargain.
FuturePerfect scored this whisky 83 points
28 oct 2018 6:19 pm
Nose

80 80

Flowery notes and clear barrel influence are disturbed by sulfur.

Taste

85 85

Much better than in the nose. Beautiful oak, interesting sour, reminiscent of Sanostol in its sweetness.

Finish

85 85

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