Tobermory 15 Year Old 1995 Murray McDavid

Tempranillo is one of the best native Spanish grape varieties and therefor the backbone of many Spanish wines, in particular Rijo, Ribere del Duero and Toro. Murry McDavid – a bottler that used to be owned by Mark Reynier – released this Tobermory of 15 years finished on just such casks.

The nose is very sweet and fruity on strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Really candy-like, actually. Strike that… after two minutes is smells like cherry juice on steroids. Unfortunately that means not much is left of the distillery character. But apart from that, this is quite pleasant. As a digestive, I’d say.

It is surprisingly creamy with a good body. The sweetness now moves over to allow some sour notes like pomegranate and grapefruit to come to the fore as well as – no surprise – red wine. I daresay it’s a tad winey. It goes over the top. Nutmeg and cloves try to save the day, but it would seem that’s impossible.

Medium long, sweet and sour – with the emphasis on sour – finish, in which the spices linger and some tannins rear their heads at the death.

Nowhere to be found nowadays. It’s no loss.

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