A little bag of seven Tormore


March 11, 2026

A little bag of seven Tormore

A magnificent distillery that has been strongly revitalised by its new owners, Elixir Distillers. We cannot wait to taste the first whiskies of the new regime, but in the meantime we shall continue to pour older distillates into our tulip glasses, some of which being, fittingly, offered by the new owners themselves. Let’s choose them at random, as we like to do from time to time…

(Elixir Distillers)

Tormore 1992/2023 (42.5%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 23025, 224 bottles)

Tormore 1992/2023 (42.5%, Malts of Scotland, Rare casks, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 23025, 224 bottles)

A Tormore already of a very fine age and at a strength that is all gentleness. Shall we find honey?... Colour: straw. Nose: it is gentle indeed, yet it begins rather with slightly overripe apple juice, rowan berry, quince, touches of caraway and fennel, then finally the honey arrives, or rather pollen. It is extremely elegant and complex, like an old cognac. Mouth: we remain with the softness of very ripe apple, then it moves more towards gentle herbal infusions, chamomile in particular. We find a little caraway again, though a whispering caraway. Very lovely. Finish: a finish that is not very long and a little less precise, yet that is perfectly normal at this age and at this strength. The apple juice remains very present and it shows touches of praline in the aftertaste. Comments: a gentle and elegant Tormore indeed, which we could almost drink like a white wine, as an aperitif.
SGP:441 - 87 points.

Let’s linger with these old ones that whisper…

Tormore 29yo 1995/2025 (43.6%, Bedford Park, 1st fill oloroso hogshead, cask #20196, 153 bottles)

We imagine a re-racking into a 1st fill oloroso here. Colour: amber. Nose: amusing acetic and slightly varnishy notes at the first sniff, before walnuts and Parma ham (or Serrano since it is sherry, that would be more appropriate) then come to decorate the whole. Very ripe apple is present as well, once again. There is truly a very old sherry side to it, almost as if it were a genuine solera cask, although they of course do not use hogsheads in soleras… In any case, a very fine nose, very distinguished. Mouth: I do not think we often detect quite so much tobacco on the attack, nor such walnut toffee, toasted pecans, very gentle mustard, salmiak lighter than usual, pepper liqueur… I find this quite beautiful. Finish: rather long, very dry, on tobacco and walnuts. Comments: this time it is a whisky-wine to enjoy with proper Iberian ham, pata negra Bellotas if possible. Or the large olives they have in Andalusia, gordals. Magnificent sherry.
SGP:451 - 91 points.

Tormore 2009/2025 ‘Legacy’ (55.1%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, Whisky Show Exclusive, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #4046, 210 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: once again gentleness and subtle notes, pistachio nougat, custard, touches of carrot and celery, rhubarb… With water: various branches freshly sawn or snapped, clematis, honeysuckle… It is truly all about elegance, once again. Mouth (neat): more drive on the palate, beer, vanilla, turmeric, ginseng, with still that slightly rooty side. A few drops of mullein syrup and sweet woodruff add a lovely measure of complexity… gentle complexity. With water: a light return of fresh oak, but also the arrival of yellow citrus fruits. Finish: of medium length, gentle, fresh, without excess… elegant. A few drops of triple sec in the aftertaste. Comments: a truly subtle Tormore, almost a little quattrocento, if you see what I mean.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Well then, shall we look for the distillery’s DNA in a very young expression? …

Tormore 8 yo 2005/2013 (52.1%, Duncan Taylor, Dimensions, cask #80076, 138 bottles)

We are tasting this already rather old baby solely for research purposes, are we not. Colour: full gold. Nose: I fear the influence of the cask may be a little too present to allow the finesse of the distillate to express itself fully, yet the whole works very well, it is all about cakes, muffins, fudge, fudge, fudge and more fudge. With water: the beer returns, along with barley and malt. Mouth (neat): very good, on orange cake, Cointreau, white pepper and once again a handsome dose of fudge. Including, naturally, vanilla fudge for lovers of psychedelic rock. With water: little change, except for a mixture of beer and cider that begins to slip in. Finish: of medium length, more herbal, more bitter. Comments: the finish is a little less at the level of the rest, yet as we say in our valleys, it remains a very lovely drop.
SGP:451 - 83 points.

Tormore 10 yo 2015/2025 (56.2%, Dràm Mor, 1st fill PX barrique finish, cask #2100950, 276 bottles)

It is always amusing to see sherry barriques, curiously we have not yet come across any Bordeaux butts. Have you? Colour: reddish amber. Nose: they are truly strong when it comes to finishing, here we are fully on prunes, Corinth raisins and fir honey, with an absolutely perfect balance. Simple on the surface, complex in depth. With water: small citrus fruits rise to the surface. Mouth (neat): blast, this is good! Slightly salty, slightly camphory, a touch resinous, then packed to the brim with peppers, raisins of all kinds and more different dried fruits than at Fortnum & Mason in the weeks before Christmas. Well, you see… With water: the fruitcake side amplifies further, there is notably quite a lot of dried pears. And we do love dried pear. Finish: long, with a very fine fruity pepper that begins to take control. A few fresh tannins in the aftertaste. Comments: a perfect candidate for a blind tasting.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Likely in the same vein…

Tormore 9 yo 2015/2025 ‘Edition #45’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 proof, 1st fill oloroso butts & bourbon barrels)

A rather budget series for your wallet, though certainly not budget in your glass (that will be a glass of Amarone, okay?) Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather less marked by sherry than usual, and we find that rather clever. Orange cream, fudge, a packet of shortbread straight out of a Scottish airport, caramel, peanut butter, nougat (straight out of a Provençal airport) … With water: a few slightly cardboardy puffs perhaps, yet the whole remains very lovely. Mouth (neat): we find this horribly good, like the Dràm Mor version, only more peppery and less fruity. Plenty of pipe tobacco and roasted peanuts. With water: the barley returns, along with orange zests. And a little cardboard as well. Finish: long, just a little dry. Comments: perhaps not the greatest swimmer in Scotland, yet it is magnificent so long as you do not add water.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

One last for the road. We also had another bottle of the old 10-year-old bottled for Dreher, but we’ll leave that for another time.

Tormore 2012/2025 ‘Legacy’ (60.8%, OB, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #921187, 230 bottles)

To each lord his honour, so we offer the final words to the new owners… In any case, the label clearly states that this is an ‘Official Pre-Release’. Colour: pale gold. Nose: despite the almost atomic strength, we find again the elegance of the distillate combined with bourbon cask, this time with a more marked tropical fruit side, notably banana and mango. All this combines very well with the vanilla and the small new world chardonnay side also present, along with some hoppy touches. With water: fresh wood, a vanilla pod just split open, brioche dough… Mouth (neat): simply excellent, even at 60%. Oranges, vanilla, mango, papaya… At least that is what we detect for the moment. With water: the saviours of malt whisky humanity arrive (eh?), lemon and mint. Slightly strong green tea as well (tannins). Finish: long, closer to oak and teas, though the fruitiness replies in the aftertaste. Oranges. Comments: a perfect end to the session. Our eyes and our palates are now turned towards the future…
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Wait wait wait, we’ve got a last-minute entry…

Tormore 14 yo 1999/2014 (58%, Gordon & MacPhail, Cask Strength, refill bourbon barrels, casks #4732 + 4733 + 4734)

Colour: gold. Nose: delightful notes of farmhouse cider and hay, then dried flowers of all kinds and orange cake covered with icing made with Gewurztraminer marc. Try it, you will see what I mean. The whole is very charmingly rustic when no water has yet been added. With water: it is simply fresh barley that joins the festivities. Mouth (neat): excellent! Apple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, IPA, guava, you see the idea. And once again, a very light hint of Gewurztraminer marc. With water: it is truly surprising how almost all the cask strength versions from Gordon & MacPhail become cloudy when you add water. It is not very aesthetic, yet it is an absolute sign of quality! In short, honey now joins the party, and it is perfect. Finish: long, softer, honeyed and on very ripe orchard fruits. Comments: it is at once very different and very close in spirit to the last official one we have just tasted. In short, all is well in the best of worlds, and all this sweetness charms the soul, as Voltaire used to say…
SGP:651 - 88 points.

(Thanks again, Wouter)

Check the index of all Tormore we've tasted