Introducing The Hebridean Series
The Hebridean Series is made up of a series of casks that were originally laid down to become the Tobermory 15 Year Old (last produced in 2017). This is still regarded as one of the best whiskies to come out of the distillery by many of our fans around the world. We've left these casks to continue maturing over time with the aim of documenting and showcasing the influence of age based on the much loved 15 Year Old.
Made up of five yearly limited edition unpeated Tobermory whiskies, this is truly a special collection. Here's what our Master Blender, Julieann Fernandez, has to say about it:
"In the case of Tobermory whisky, amazing, incredible, and special things happen with age, so the older our Tobermory whisky gets the more intriguing, interesting and different it becomes. And with that, showcasing what 12 months can do to an already incredible whisky makes for a brilliant series."
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THE HEBRIDEAN SERIES SO FAR...
The liquid for all the expressions come from the same casks originally laid down for the 15 Year Old and have remained in cask until their respective launches.
In the case of our newest release, the 26 Year Old, the spirit continued to mature for an additional 11 years in the González Byass Oloroso Sherry Casks before being released.
Each of our whiskies in this collection (the Tobermory 23, 24, 25 and 26 Year Old) share the same Tobermory signature house-style of tropical fruits, however the longer finishing time in the Oloroso casks has added to, influenced and enhanced the flavour profile.
How do these expressions compare to the Tobermory house style?
Tobermory's house style is considered tropical and fruity. Slices of pineapple, bits of mango and orange peel, with a touch of cereal.
The Tobermory 12 Year Old is matured in Bourbon Casks exclusively, delivering a classic American oak flavour, whereas The Hebridean Series whiskies are all unmistakably sherry cask led in terms of their wood profile, with a common theme of blackcurrant, citrus, spiciness and the tropical fruit note which runs through all of them.
So, what are the key differences between the expressions?
The key differences between the first four expressions comes with the influence of an additional year in cask, as well as the difference in strength.
For the first expression in this series, we wanted to show the whisky at our classic bottling strength (46.3%) as a comparison to the current core 12 Year Old. The Hebridean Series 23 Year Old is a classic sherried dram, bursting with rich, sweet fruit and spices with a subtle salty undercurrent.
For the second release, the 24 Year Old, we increased the bottling strength to 52.5% ABV to show a little more cask influence. The higher strength has intensified the whisky, with a more concentrated, bold and spicy character. There's a sweet blackcurrant jam, vanilla and citrus notes, finishing with salted caramel and hazelnut.
For the third release, the 25 Year Old, we wanted to move away from the rich, jammy, plum and blueberry flavour of the previous expressions to something lighter, fresher and zestier. We found that a strength of 48.1% ABV resulted in a lighter, more complex and open expression of Tobermory compared to the 24 Year Old, yet still delivering on the red and stone fruit notes. The 25 Year Old has notes of candied citrus, spice and fresh fruit.
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The new 26 Year Old and the fourth expression in the series, is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet with notes of vanilla, toffee, freshly baked cinnamon pastries and toasted malt. Here's what Master Blender, Julieann Fernandez, has to say about the new 26 Year Old:
“The previous releases in our Hebridean Series have had fruity, floral notes with a creamy sweetness. An additional year of maturation has dissipated this light sweetness and replaced it with spicy woodsmoke and much heavier notes of dark brown, caramelised sugar, and treacle toffee. This darker sweetness is typical of Bourbon casks, and was unexpected of uncharred González Byass Oloroso Sherry Casks, making it a truly unique dram.”
