Three indie Tormore and a semi-official one


February 21, 2024

Three indie Tormore and a semi-official one

Some indie Tormore while we wait for some new official expressions by current owners Elixir Distillers.

(Ronnie Leask, Geograph)

Tormore 12 yo 2010/2023 (61.5%, Dram Fool, Middle Cut, bourbon barrel, cask #801185, 168 bottles)

Chivas/Pernod make, as they had bought the distillery in 2005, before selling it on to Elixir two years ago. Colour: straw. Nose: high-action malt whisky, fully on butterscotch, fresh-roasted coffee and carrot cake at first, but let's remember it was bottled at a lethal strength. Quick, with water: totally awesome 'pure' malt whisky, with just everything it needs. Roasted nuts (specifically peanuts), roasted malt, mocha, black nougat, butterscotch, then a little lemon and thyme oils. Mouth (neat): very punchy but you do get the high level, the lemons, the varnishes, the fudges, the skins and peelings… And the ethanol. With water: excellent, with creamy citrus liqueurs and syrups, tangerines, vanilla, a tiny hint of pineapple, limoncello and orange blossom water… Finish: long, still creamy and oily, fruity, wonderfully liqueury. Grapefruit and apricot liqueurs. Comments: I'm reminded of some much older official bottlings of Tormore. Everything is fine, they hadn't lost their touch in 2010, which only bodes well for the future of the distillery.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Tormore 23 yo 1999/2023 (54.5%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers for LMDW, New Vibrations, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #5174, 189 bottles)

They heard us, here are the new owners! How would you call such a bottling, a prequel expression? Colour: straw. Nose: the wonders of time. Never let anyone tell you that in any aged spirits, time doesn't matter. As they say, never buy the agendas and always look for who benefits from a possible lie. So, if you enjoy peaches and the syrups and liqueurs they make out of the latter as much as I do, this is for you. I'm also finding a little rum baba, chamomile, potpourri, yuzu and various flowers, especially jasmine… With water: no actual changes. Maybe some barley syrup and some apple juice. Mouth (neat): dazzling well-aged fruitiness. Terrific mangos and papayas, with some chartreuse and some verbena (Verveine du Velay), genepy and even pastis (Pernod's influence, I would suppose, ha). It's got nothing to do with Clynelish but funnily enough, it does remind me of Clynelish. With water: fruit and awe. Szechuan pepper and pink grapefruits. Finish: long, a notch hotter and less precise, but we're splitting hairs now. Late-harvest riesling and Canadian iced apple wine. Comments: incredible Tormore, terrific fruitiness.
SGP:751 - 90 points.

Let's find an even older one…

Tormore 30 yo 1992/2022 (45.4%, The Whisky Blues, barrel, cask #101177, 259 bottles)

Love this label with (apparently) Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven in front of what appears to be Beijing's Forbidden City. I suppose this old Tormore will be music to our nose and palate… Colour: white wine. Nose: less extravagantly fruity than the 1999 and rather with more herbs and some kind of remote smokiness, not too sure where this is coming from. Some pastry dough, a little grass, some shoe polish, then mint and thyme, sage and sake. Really, it's very sake-like. Also some elderflower and honeysuckle, plus several overripe fruits, such as bananas for example. Mouth: sake, sardines, elderflower liqueur, a little umami, some saltiness, apple juice, roots, earth, gentian… This is all very complex and ultra-tertiary. Finish: rather long, saltier yet, you would almost believe this is some scallop carpaccio served with mango and passion fruit. And with a glass of good Junmai Daiginjo. Yes, that's sake. Comments: another dazzling one, if it was a tad more intellectual.
SGP:652 - 90 points.

Update: the building on the label is actually the Taiwan Nation Concert Hall. Yet another faux-pas at WF Towerz.

Let's check the boxes, we might find an older bottling that we've kept for quieter years that never occurred. Oh right…

Tormore 16 yo 1995/2011 (53.4%, Whisky-Doris, bourbon hogshead, cask #20213, 132 bottles)

From an excellent little German house, long time no see, hope they'll be in Limburg (and hope I'll make it this year). Colour: light gold. Nose: a simpler nose, but a pleasant one, with some apple juice, pears, preserved peaches, a little melon, an earthy touch, then greener plums… With water: some wool and some chalk. The barley speaking out. A bit of mango too… Mouth (neat): very good tight fruitiness, on lime and lemon as well as other acidic fruits, maybe starfruit, physalis, green apples… Quite some green pepper as well. This is one tight Tormore! With water: a pack of crocodile gums from the house Haribo, especially the yellow ones (lemon) and the oranges ones (well, orange). Finish: medium, with a tiny touch of salt(iness), not too sure where that's coming from. Comments: just super-goodly fruity.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

All high scores. In short, I can't wait…

Check the index of all Tormore we've tasted so far