Tormore is one of the lesser known Speyside distilleries. They’ve been in production since 1959, but the spirit is mainly used for blends. The only readily available expression is a 12yo, of which I was once gifted a bottle. That has been my only experience with Tormore. Until now. Last year Gordon & MacPhail bottled an 18yo Tormore from a refill bourbon barrel for Dutch importer Van Wees.
Tormore 1996/2015 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, ‘Bottled for Van Wees’, C#5653)
Nose: Sweet tinned pineapples, coconut and vanilla custard. Malty too. Some citrus fruits are in the background, pink grapefruit en lemon. Not very adventurous, but pleasant and well-balanced.
Taste: A nice oily mouthfeel. Less sweetness than I’d expected and more citrus. Especially the grapefruit makes a comeback. Some blackberries, lychees and red apples as well. Lightly spiced.
Finish: Medium in length, spices (cumin) and pink grapefruit.
Rating: 85
A good and highly drinkable whisky. On the other hand it lacks a bit of character. After trying this twice, I don’t feel there’s a lot left to discover.
There’s a 14 and 16 yo now available as official Tormore releases – one of which is just for the French market. And one as part of Chivas’ cask strength series now called the Distillers series I think?
The CS-series are not easy to find, completely forgot about the new 14 and 16 year olds though. Thanks for reminding me 🙂
No problem. A few of us recently stayed at the cottages next to Tormore, for the Speyside festival, so we’re almost experts on its history and whiskies now! 🙂
The cask strength series is something they’ve just overhauled – a selection was available to buy from other Chivas distilleries. Think the Whisky Exchange has the previous version. Not all that common, though, as you say.