Welcome back to another fine tasting of two single malts, where I get to taste and compare two selected whiskies side-by-side, identify the slight differences between them, pick out a favourite, and hopefully learn something new along the way. Today I pick out two miniature 50ml samples from a local whisky shop because it’s always nice to have a taste before committing to an entire 700ml bottle. Now, I am already a fan of these two distilleries. However, in my collection, I have a few older and independent bottlings of both. So, today, I’m turning over to their core range editions to see how they stand up against each other. It’s been a while since I tried these, and dare I say, I’ve never had them side-by-side. So let’s get to it! But first, we need music! Now playing: Snorri Hallgrímsson – I Am Weary, Don’t Let Me Rest.

In the left corner, we have a 10-year-old single malt from Arran distillery from Lochranza. As the label proclaims, this is a non-chill filtered, natural colour Scotch whisky bottled at 46% ABV. The nose is fresh and citrusy with hints of caramelized bananas, vanilla and butterscotch. It smells slightly sweet, so let’s go in for a taste to see if my senses confirm my suspicion. And yes, there it is, barley sugars, a bit of caramel, and plenty of oily thickness on the palate, which retains the profile with the long finish. This is, no doubt, to the lack of chill filtration, leaving all of the fatty acids, proteins and esters behind. Taste this next to a filtered whisky, and you’ll see how thin and naked it immediately feels. In the right corner, we have a 12-year-old single malt from Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull, which also produces peated Ledaig. This is an unpeated version of whisky, bottled at 46.3%, and I believe it is also uncoloured and non-chill filtered. The latter info comes from my experience in having this whisky from a bigger bottle, while the 50ml dram does not explicitly point that out on a label. I think it definitely should! The nose is also promising the sweetness of the first fill ex-bourbon casks, but now there is a bit of woodsiness, which is coming from a virgin oak found in the vatting. Let’s go in for a taste. And there it is as well, the chewy honeycomb with cloves and apricots and oakey shavings. The wood is very present in this dram and clearly pronounces itself.

Albeit miles apart, both of these distilleries are filed under the “Island” region, which is a term reserved for the distilleries around the perimeter of the Scottish mainland. As such, unlike the peaty Islay whiskies, or the sherried Speyside Scotch, their signature profile can be very different from each other. Other Island whiskies include Jura from, er, Jura, Highland Park and Scapa from Orkney, and Talisker and Torabhaig from Skye. These names, in themselves, should tell you how varied the flavour could be. And with that said, neither Arran nor Tobermory really comes close to any of the above here. For one, as already mentioned, there is no smokiness present in either one. Tobermory’s Ledaig, however, can go head to head with Ardbeg, as it did in this writeup, while Arran can compete with the most sherried bombs out there, like Glendronach in this post. Back to the whiskies in my glass now! I think the Arran is smoother, softer, and thicker than the Tobermory. The latter’s definitely drier, woodier (again), and slightly sharp. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would have accidentally reversed the age statements on these bottles and thought that Tobermory is only ten years old, while Arran feels like it can pull up all of fifteen. It definitely carries itself like an elderly gentleman. I’ll add a drop of water to both and try them in reverse now to conclude. Meanwhile, let’s check on the price. The Arran is currently at £41, while the Tobermory is at £43. OK, so close enough. One final taste! The Tobermory gave in to the water, and now the oak shavings are even more pronounced, while the Arran held on to its oiliness and became slightly sweeter and soft.

Distillery / Region	Arran / Island	Tobermory / Island
Bottler / Series	Distillery bottling / core range	Distillery bottling / core range
Stated Age	10 year old	12 year old
Cask type	Unknown	First fill ex-bourbon & virgin oak
ABV / Cask Strength	40.0% / No	46.3% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	Yes / Yes 🌟
Price	£41	£43
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes	No / Yes, but a bit woodsy
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Yes / Yes	.Yes / Yes

So there you have it, folks, another fantastic pairing. I honestly didn’t know how I would lean here, as I have enjoyed both of these single malts individually in the past very much. In fact, as I re-read my tasting of the Tobermory distillery bottling paired with the one by That Boutique-y Whisky Company, I see no mention of the “woodsiness” at all! That’s absolutely fascinating, even to my palate – a demonstration of the fact that more explicit differences are noticed when the whiskies are compared side by side. When two single malts with oakey profiles are compared, the oakiness is missing from the divergence in the taste. But when you pair the very same single malt against the one with no virgin oak, it clearly stands out and sings front and centre. Amazing! And this is the lesson that I’ve learned today! And with that said, I’ll pause here and proclaim the Arran 10-year-old as the winner of this round.