Manzanilla is a peculiar and wonderful wine. Produced only in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, it matures under a thick layer of flor yeast in a damp, salty sea-breeze climate that gives it its characteristic dry, saline, almost iodine-tinged profile. Casks that have held Manzanilla are comparatively rare in Scotch whisky finishing — most sherry casks come from Jerez, and of those most are Oloroso or Pedro Ximénez.
Tobermory's 21 Year Old Manzanilla Finish is therefore something of a curio, and a clever one. The distillery's unpeated spirit already carries a subtle coastal note from its harbourside warehousing on Mull, and the Manzanilla finish doubles down on that briny character without adding the sweetness that Oloroso casks bring.
Bottled at 46.3% ABV, non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured, the whisky is dry, precise and food-friendly — it drinks more like a fino than a dessert sherry bomb. At 21 years of age the oak is well-integrated, and the long maturation has rounded off any sharp edges from Tobermory's younger cereal notes.
This is one of the more interesting limited releases from Mull in recent memory, and a strong argument for more Manzanilla casks finding their way into Scotch warehouses.
