Tobermory Single Malt Scotch Whisky

TobermorySingle Malt Scotch Whisky

Tobermory, the capital of Mull, lies towards the northern end of the island. The bay is one of the safest anchorages in the Hebrides, indeed the original name for the area was Ledaig (pronounced Led-chig) from the Gaelic, meaning 'safe haven'.

This made it the ideal place for the fishing town which was established there in 1788. The name of the town 'Tobermory' was derived from the Gaelic tobar mhoire, which means 'well of Mary', and relates to the well and chapel of St Mary built for the community.

As well as Tobermory, the distillery also makes Ledaig single malt. The main difference between the two is that Tobermory is lightly peated and Ledaig is quite heavily peated.

In 1797, a local merchant by the name of John Sinclair filed an application to build a distillery, but was refused. Permission was finally granted the following year for Sinclair to proceed and Tobermory Distillery was founded. Today, Tobermory Distillery is one of Scotland's oldest operational malt whisky distilleries celebrating its 200th anniversary in 1998.

The water source for the distillery is a privately owned Loch close by the Mishnish Lochs, high in hills behind the town. The water from the Loch is richly aromatic with peaty phenols that lend impart a subtle flavour to the whisky. Due to the water's character the barley malt used remains unpeated.

The ageing process now takes place at Tobermory’s sister distillery Deanston, near Doune, for a minimum of ten years. This change of location induces further complexities in the final blending.

The result is a fresh, lightly peated whisky, medium-dry with a smooth and fruity taste.