Review #867 - SMWS 42.73 'Quiet Confidence' - Tobermory 25 Year
Tobermory, established back in 1798, is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. They produce both unpeated single malt and heavily peated single malt, and generally, their peated malt (branded as Ledaig) is quite a bit more popular next to its gentler sibling. Here, though we have an unpeated single cask that was bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and at the ripe old age of 25 years.
The distillate spent those full 25 years maturing in a first fill ex-bourbon cask, so there should be plenty of oak influence, but we're also hoping that the distillate character hasn't been fully covered up as there's no wine/sherry influence. After those 25 years, the cask strength/bottling strength sits at a relatively low 49.7% ABV; like all whiskies from SMWS, this is not chill filtered, and there's no added color.
SMWS 42.73 'Quiet Confidence' - Tobermory 25 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 450 (2022)
Age Statement: 25 Years
Strength: 49.7% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill ex-bourbon hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled November 22, 1995; 187 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 5 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Honeysuckle and old wood, some softer coastal, oily notes, and a bit of semi-sour malt. Very floral, with more sweetness from honey, honeydew melon, apples, and Champagne; there's a subtle vegetal side to it. It's somewhat reserved, but fruits open up over time, and we also get orange peel, lemon, and vanilla.
Palate: The mouthfeel is thick, and it reflects the nose well: honey and malt, subtle old oak, a bit of a classic Highland ex-bourbon character. Oranges, passionfruit, and lemon candies start the fruit, and it grows more tropical with sugary tinned peaches and dried mango strips. Vanilla, graham crackers, candle wax, and a bit of oak spice are accents.
Finish: Graham crackers, a bit of a yeasty side, lots of malty notes and cotton candy. Honey, brown sugar, and peach ring candies add more sweetness; in the aftertaste, a strong wine gum note develops. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is a subtle, delicate whisky that took a long time to open up for us. The nose started out a bit tight, but those soft floral notes and sweet bright fruits eventually popped up; the palate grows much sweeter and more tropical if you give this a lot of time in the glass. Overall, we found the oak influence to be quite tame for a 25 year whisky - tasting blind, we would have guessed this was younger.
It's a good whisky, but we think that this is too expensive for the flavors you're getting. We get that the price here is inflated by the age statement and rarity, but for us, we're expecting a bit more depth and punchiness when paying $400+ for a bottle of whisky.
Our Rating: 7.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 4.05
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check our other Tobermory/Ledaig reviews:
