January 29, 2015

Three Tormore

Shall we find plenty of Tormory fruits?...

Tormore 16 yo (48%, OB, batch #B1905, 2014)

I quite liked 2013’s batch #B1307 (WF 83). Colour: gold. Nose: it is very ‘official’, as opposed to ‘indie’. Indeed the owners tend to add more oak these days in my modest experience, to the point where you could really tell whether one whisky’s official or not just by nosing it. Not talking about Tormore as such, they’re almost all doing that. For example, this one has a lot of Ovaltine and chicory, bags of roasted pecans and peanuts, and quite a lot of coffee. In short, roasted malt galore. Mouth: once again the wood’s in the front, with some pepper, some cinnamon, more roasted nuts and quite a lot of toasted bread. Behind that, marmalade and cherries, coated with more spices, especially cloves and cumin. Finish: long and very malty/spicy. Some kind of spiced coffee that the mad people at Nespresso would have just invented. Comments: well made, for sure, you just have to enjoy stout beer and Ovaltine. And brownies. The whole’s much more coffee-ish than earlier ueberfruity official Tormores (ah the old 10 white label!) Score unchanged. SGP:451 – 83 points.

Tormore 18 yo 1995/2013 (47.6%, Pearls of Scotland, 294 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: oh lovely… Some almond oil, cut flowers, freshly made marzipan, sunflower oil, wee oranges (bergamots – not kumquats), a bit of fresh oak, roots, a little clay, fresh barley… It’s all pretty subtle, some would call this ‘feminine’, but others would argue that that’s a sexist remark. Mouth: a little more disjointed, but it’s got sparks of greatness. Oranges, butter cream, a little mead (with a bittersweet side)… There’s also a little sour wood, which is a little less great. Finish: medium. Loses it a bit, with more sweet and sour notes and a little sawdust. Comments: very fine. I really loved the nose that was pretty femin… oh forget. SGP:441 - 82 points.

Tormore 1995/2014 (56.1%, Chapter 7, bourbon hogshead, cask #20159, 211 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s a narrower one, more compact, not less pleasant, very floral Tormore. Daisies (very light), apple peelings, orange peel, grass, cherry juice… You’ve got more or less the same lightness as in the other 1995. With water: same light fruit juice with drops of almond oil, and always this floral side. Maybe roses this time? Mouth (neat): excellently fruity, Speyside style. Sweet fruits, bonbons, apple juice, cherries again… Uncomplicated and all very fine. With water: same, just a notch grassier. Some easy, rather delicate fruit juice. Finish: medium, clean, fruity, easy. Do you like cherries? Comments: our winner. I enjoy this delicately fruity, very clean style. SGP:541 - 85 points.

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