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Tobermory (whisky distillery)
Encyclopedia
Tobermory is a Scotch whisky
distillery
situated on the Hebridean island
of Mull
, Scotland
in the village of Tobermory. The distillery, which was formerly known as Ledaig, was founded in 1798 and has changed hands several times, having undergone a number of periods of closure. The only distillery on Mull, it is currently owned by Burn Stewart Distillers under CL Financial
. Its main product, Tobermory single malt
, is used in the blends "Scottish Leader" and "Black Bottle
". The distillery also produces a smaller amount of peated whisky, which remains known under the former name, Ledaig.
. In April 1797, he had applied for 57 acres to the south of the harbor in order to build houses and a distillery. Distilling had been banned in the UK since 1795 in order to save grain for the War of the First Coalition with France. Although he was originally told to build a brewery instead, he remained with the original plan and additionally built a pier known as "Sinclair's Quay".
The current buildings constructed during that first period of occupation, and was licenced in 1823. It was acquired by John Hopkins & Co in 1890, and by Distillers Company in 1916 before closing in 1930 following a drop in demand whisky due to ten years of prohibition in the United States
.
In 1972 it was reopened under the name of Ledaig Distillery (Tobermory) Ltd. In May 1975, production had to stop for a month as storage space for the whisky had run out. The construction of a bonded warehouse
had been delayed, causing fourteen workers to be laid off in the duration. This was followed by the distillery going into receivership
, with it being purchased by the Kirkleavington Property Company in 1978, it opened again between 1979 and 1981. In the 1980s, the warehouses were sold off for conversion into flats, and as such maturation no longer takes place on site. It closed again until 1989, and in 1991 it was purchased by Burn Stewart Distillers for £600,000 plus £200,000 for stock.
Burn Stewart Distillers were bought out by Trinidad
–based CL Financial
for £49 million in 2002, including the distillery at Tobermoray and Deanston
. It remains the only whisky distillery
on the Isle of Mull
, in the main village of Tobermory at the northern tip of the island. Tobermory is known for the variety of colors that the houses of the shore front are painted in and for being the location of the children's television show Balamory
. The distillery itself is located at the foot of a steep hill, at the head of the bay.
is distilled from unpeated malted barley and matured in oak cask
s for at least ten years. A heavily peated whisky is also produced, but in small quantities, named Ledaig for the original distillery name. The malts are used in a number of blends including Scottish Leader and Black Bottle
. The water for the distillery comes from a private loch near to the Mishnish lochs. The branding had been confused under previous owners, with the Tobermory brand being used for both a single malt and a blended whisky.
Production was upgraded in 1990, with the distillery becoming capable of producing a million litres of spirit a year. It uses a traditional copper–domed cast iron
mash tun, four washbacks made of Oregon pine
, and four spirit stills. The whisky is matured in both former bourbon whiskey
and sherry
casks. Maturation takes place at the distillery at Deanston
.
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
distillery
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
situated on the Hebridean island
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
of Mull
Mull
-Places:*Isle of Mull, Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides*Sound of Mull, between the island and the rest of Scotland*Mull , Anglicisation of Gaelic Maol, hill or promontory**Mull of Galloway, Scotland**Mull of Kintyre, Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the village of Tobermory. The distillery, which was formerly known as Ledaig, was founded in 1798 and has changed hands several times, having undergone a number of periods of closure. The only distillery on Mull, it is currently owned by Burn Stewart Distillers under CL Financial
CL Financial
CL Financial – before its financial breakdown that became evident after a liquidity crisis and government intervention in 2009 – was the largest privately held conglomerate in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest privately held corporations in the entire Caribbean...
. Its main product, Tobermory single malt
Tobermory Single Malt
Tobermory Single Malt is a Scotch whisky distilled by the Tobermory Distillery, Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, a hebridean isle in western Scotland, north from the isle of Islay.-Production and character:...
, is used in the blends "Scottish Leader" and "Black Bottle
Black Bottle
Black Bottle is a blended Scotch Whisky bottled by Burn Stewart Distillers. The brand was introduced in 1879 and was first produced by Aberdeen tea blenders Charles, David and Gordon Graham...
". The distillery also produces a smaller amount of peated whisky, which remains known under the former name, Ledaig.
History
The distillery was founded as Ledaig distillery in 1798 by John Sinclair, ten years after the founding of Tobermory by the British Fisheries Society. Sinclair had originally arrived in the village as a merchant dealing with soda ash from burning the locally available kelpKelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
. In April 1797, he had applied for 57 acres to the south of the harbor in order to build houses and a distillery. Distilling had been banned in the UK since 1795 in order to save grain for the War of the First Coalition with France. Although he was originally told to build a brewery instead, he remained with the original plan and additionally built a pier known as "Sinclair's Quay".
The current buildings constructed during that first period of occupation, and was licenced in 1823. It was acquired by John Hopkins & Co in 1890, and by Distillers Company in 1916 before closing in 1930 following a drop in demand whisky due to ten years of prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
.
Bonded warehouse
A Bonded warehouse is a building or other secured area in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the latter case a customs bond must be posted with the government...
had been delayed, causing fourteen workers to be laid off in the duration. This was followed by the distillery going into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
, with it being purchased by the Kirkleavington Property Company in 1978, it opened again between 1979 and 1981. In the 1980s, the warehouses were sold off for conversion into flats, and as such maturation no longer takes place on site. It closed again until 1989, and in 1991 it was purchased by Burn Stewart Distillers for £600,000 plus £200,000 for stock.
Burn Stewart Distillers were bought out by Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
–based CL Financial
CL Financial
CL Financial – before its financial breakdown that became evident after a liquidity crisis and government intervention in 2009 – was the largest privately held conglomerate in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest privately held corporations in the entire Caribbean...
for £49 million in 2002, including the distillery at Tobermoray and Deanston
Deanston Distillery
Deanston distillery, in Scotland, produces Single malt Scotch whisky, classified among the Highland Single Malts. The distillery, originally a cotton mill designed in 1785 by Richard Arkwright, is located in the small village of Deanston near Doune, southwest of Perth. The supply of good water...
. It remains the only whisky distillery
Scotch whisky
Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...
on the Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
, in the main village of Tobermory at the northern tip of the island. Tobermory is known for the variety of colors that the houses of the shore front are painted in and for being the location of the children's television show Balamory
Balamory
Balamory was a live action television series on British television for pre-school children, based around the fictional small island community of Balamory in Scotland. It was produced between 2002 and 2005 by BBC Scotland, with 254 episodes made...
. The distillery itself is located at the foot of a steep hill, at the head of the bay.
Production
The Tobermory Single MaltTobermory Single Malt
Tobermory Single Malt is a Scotch whisky distilled by the Tobermory Distillery, Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, a hebridean isle in western Scotland, north from the isle of Islay.-Production and character:...
is distilled from unpeated malted barley and matured in oak cask
CASK
Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...
s for at least ten years. A heavily peated whisky is also produced, but in small quantities, named Ledaig for the original distillery name. The malts are used in a number of blends including Scottish Leader and Black Bottle
Black Bottle
Black Bottle is a blended Scotch Whisky bottled by Burn Stewart Distillers. The brand was introduced in 1879 and was first produced by Aberdeen tea blenders Charles, David and Gordon Graham...
. The water for the distillery comes from a private loch near to the Mishnish lochs. The branding had been confused under previous owners, with the Tobermory brand being used for both a single malt and a blended whisky.
Production was upgraded in 1990, with the distillery becoming capable of producing a million litres of spirit a year. It uses a traditional copper–domed cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
mash tun, four washbacks made of Oregon pine
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, and four spirit stills. The whisky is matured in both former bourbon whiskey
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
and sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
casks. Maturation takes place at the distillery at Deanston
Deanston
Deanston is a village in the district of Stirling,Scotland, on the south bank of the River Teith, formerly of West Perthshire. It is a part of the parish of Kilmadock....
.