Tobermory Distillery Recently Released A Historically Inspired Rioja Cask Finish Whisky
Tobermory Distillery Recently Released A Historically Inspired Rioja Cask Finish Whisky
Tobermory Distillery, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and the only whisky distillery on the Isle of Mull, is paying homage to its own storied history and that of its island location with the recent release of new entry into its Ledaig range: the Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish. The distiller’s first-ever non-aged statement has been made using heavily peated barley and matured in ex-bourbon casks before resting for 18 months in Spanish Rioja casks.
The choice of the latter casks are meant to hearken back to the tale of a galleon from a Spanish armada that sunk off the coast of Mull in the late 16th century. Some claim it was the San Juan de Sicilia, a troop vessel fleeing an English fleet; others say it was the Florencia, which was rumored to have been blown up in a dispute with local clans, ta
Ask most people what types of whisky they prefer and ‘Single Malt Scotch’ will almost certainly steal the top spot. The ‘Scotch’ bit is obvious, or it is to most people anyway: I was once asked to recommend some “American Scotches.” Hmm, moving on.
But what about ‘Single Malt’? Quite simply, it s just whisky distilled in copper pot stills from malted barley at one distillery which has been aged or ‘matured’ in oak casks for at least three years and a day.
Happily, that leaves distillers with a fair amount of room to make their own mark on the resulting spirit. And experiment they do: 2020 has seen a deluge of new malts crafted in novel ways hit the (mostly virtual) shelves.