Tobermory 1995 TWA for TWS [Mystery Review]

Hi everyone,

Remember back when the guys at Toronto Whisky Society had a whisky specially bottled for them, then kept shoving it in our faces by reviewing it? (Definitely not jealous)

Well, I was lucky enough to try it too. Many thanks to u/xile_ for sharing this with me, you are a legend sir.

This was actually provided in the form of a mystery, so I had no idea what it was other than TWS on the label (may have been too much of a clue) and the comment ‘There’s a whisky I might like your opinion on.’

 

Tobermory 1995 The Whisky Agency for Toronto Whisky Society 51.9%

Colour: Light Gold

Viscosity: Very High

Nose: Nice nose. I got a whiff of cheese at first, but now it’s much cleaner with malt, porridge, fresh green apple, slightly grassy, dry oak. Some leather and smoked cheese coming out now. Very subtly mineral. Interesting nose that keeps you digging.

Taste: Soft arrival and builds nicely, clean malt, lots of green apple, lovely fresh lemon citrus, subtle smoke and becoming more and more into the finish. Lots of sea salt too with some white pepper and dry oak. Slightly more herbal and earthy as it opens up with a Mezcal-type note to it.

Finish: Medium/Long length. More smoky here with grass and ash then great dark chocolate, oak and black coffee.

A very nice example of a whisky with a lot of character but still clean and light. Or an older whisky with a lot of freshness.

With the cheese I thought it could be Tobermory, then the cheese went away and I thought it could be Glen Scotia. Then the finish came in with the smoke and I had a funny feeling in my elbow that I now recognise as my whisky sense. It asked me: ‘Wasn’t there a Tobermory that was bottled for the Toronto Whisky Society that was meant to be lightly peated?’

Yes, there was weird whisky elbow. Yes, there was…

84/100

Guess: Single Malt Scotch, 18-21yo, cask strength, independent bottling from an Island/Campebeltown distillery.

Could be an older Hogshead Glen Scotia or Tobermory.

TWS on the label would lead me to believe it’s the Toronto Whisky Society bottling of a 21yo Tobermory.

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #703

Whisky Network Review #840

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

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