Moon Import bottlings are, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful bottles of independently bottled scotch out there. Then, of course, there is the sheer quality of the whisky inside.
The Moon Import “De Viris Illustribus” series produced some stunning whiskies with equally aesthetic packaging. Today, the series is one of the most beloved by the Italian independent bottler. For the series, Moon Import founder Pepi Mongiardino sourced whiskies from every corner of Scotland, including the far reaches of the Outer Hebrides, and a small distillery called Tobermory.
Let’s take a look at the origins, tasting notes, and record prices for the Tobermory 1972 Moon Import De Viris Illustribus in this week’s Scotch Whisky Legends.
Tobermory In The 1970s
The Moon Import De Viris Illustribus series bottlings were released in 1995, featuring whiskies from famed Scottish distilleries such as Bruichladdich, Linkwood, Bowmore, and Caol Ila. This particular whisky was distilled at Tobermory Distillery, on the picturesque Isle of Mull, in 1972.
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The distillation date of this whisky is of particular interest to Tobermory fans. This is because, following a turbulent history and multiple ownership changes, Tobermory was closed in 1930. It was revived in 1972 following purchase by a shipping company based in Liverpool, UK, Domecq, and ‘Panamanian Interests’. At this point, the distillery was named ‘Ledaig’. Eagle-eyed Tobermory fans will notice that today ‘Ledaig’ (pronounced led-chig) is the name of the peated whisky brand produced at Tobermory Distillery.
So, 1972 was the first year of distillation following a four-decade silence. Whisky fans were eager to see what the new spirit from Ledaig would bring. However, Tobermory then experienced another period of closure and was saved by Burn Stewart (now part of Distell) when the company purchased the distillery in 1993.
By 1995, when the De Viris Illustribus series was created, Tobermory had had a tough time. The bottling of the Tobermory 1972 by Moon Import brought the spirit to a new market and set the stage for the distillery’s future.
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The Moon Import De Viris Illustribus Series
Founded by Pepi Mongiardino in 1980, Moon Import is one of the foremost Italian independent bottlers of scotch whisky, alongside greats such as Samaroli and Nadio Fiori.
Mongiardino conceived of the De Viris Illustribus series (meaning “concerning illustrious men” in Latin) in the mid-1990s, and set about designing the labels – Pepi was well known for designing labels for his bottlings, much like Silvano Samaroli.
The series was inspired by the Italian Renaissance genre of literature, and the labels were derived from old books.
Alongside other collections such as The Animals and The Sails In The Wind, De Viris Illustribus boosted the popularity of Moon Import whiskies in both domestic and foreign markets. Today, bottles such as the Tobermory 1972 are highly sought after by collectors, meaning (of course) fewer chances for drinkers to sample the iconic whisky.
Bottled at 50% ABV in 1995, this 23 year old liquid from Tobermory serves as a time capsule of the distillery’s production methods in the early 70s. Serge Valentin, at WhiskyFun, was lucky enough to try the whisky in 2006.
Serge Valentin’s Tasting Notes On The Tobermory 1972 Moon Import De Viris Ilustribus
“Colour: gold – of course. Nose: another dimension as expected, although it does smell ‘Tobermorish’ at first nosing. Hyper-bold notes of fresh pineapples, together with something very farmy and vegetal. Fern, moss, hay, newly mown grass… Peat? It does remind me of some superb 1972 Ledaigs indeed! Quite some smoke, at that, matchsticks… And then we have various herbal teas (mainly hawthorns and rosehips, aniseeds)… It gets smokier and smokier, and very mineral, in fact! What a perfect compactness – and great surprise!
Mouth: oh yeah! It’s clearly more different from the 1972 Ledaigs I know on the palate, and very unusual again. Quite some liquorice sticks, mint tea, cough drops… Gets then very peppery, gingery and spicy… Something meaty (smoked sausages), herbal… Spearmint chewing-gums, mastic-flavoured Turkish delights, cooked turnips (honest), menthol fir honey sweets, honeydew… Very, very special, that’s for sure!
And the finish is very long, resinous and quite smoky… Haha! Tobermory! Tobermory? Anyway, 1972 was a great year on Mull as well, it appears. A kind of profile I l-o-v-e. 94 points.” – Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com, February 2006
Auction Prices
According to my auction database, only 135 bottles from the entire De Viris Illustribus series have been sold at auction since 2007. Twenty-five of those bottles were Tobermory 1972s. Given that there were only 600 bottles of whisky produced, that leaves just 575 bottles left in the wild. Of course, we can safely assume that many of these have been opened and drunk. So, how many are left? No one knows.
The current auction record for the Tobermory 1972 Moon Import De Viris Illustribus is £3,650. Prices are currently hovering around £1,500-£1,900. A bargain, if I do say so.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the astonishingly low prices for the other bottles in the De Viris Illustribus series. For example, a 1983 Bowmore from the series last sold in June 2024 for just £368. Now, that is not only a low price for a vintage, cask-strength, Moon Import Bowmore, but it is also over £1,000 less than the average price for the Tobermory.
The other expressions such as the Linkwood, Caol Ila, and North British are all averaging less than £500 at auction currently.
This is not to take away from the Tobermory expression, at all. It is just to say that, well, if you can get your hands on a Moon Import De Viris Illustribus whisky for less than £400, I personally would not pass up that chance.
A Brief History of Tobermory Distillery
Tobermory Distillery, located on the Isle of Mull, has a storied history dating back to 1798. Founded by John Sinclair, the distillery originally operated under the name Ledaig, derived from the Gaelic for “safe haven.” The distillery experienced numerous closures and changes in ownership throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the early 20th century, the distillery faced financial difficulties, leading to prolonged periods of closure. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Tobermory saw a revival, thanks to new investment and a burgeoning interest in single malt whisky. In 1979, it was rebranded as Tobermory, aligning with the town’s name and enhancing its market appeal.
Tobermory Distillery is unique in that it produces two distinct styles of whisky: the unpeated Tobermory and the peated Ledaig.
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