Tormore 31yo 1992/2024

Tormore 31yo 1992/2024

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Golden 
40.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, white pepper, menthol, malted grains, white grapes, nutmeg, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Sour. White pepper, malted grains, peaches, lemon zest, marmalade, nutmeg, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Short. Cloves, marmalade, lemon zest, vanilla, honey. 

Comments: 

Fragrant and light, lots of malt, fruit and pepper. There’s a deep hint of cloves on the tongue, which becomes more prominent on the finish. No water - it’s good as it is.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tormore 20yo 1996/2016

Tormore 20yo 1996/2016

Single Cask, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
57.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, peaches, raisins, fresh baked bread, cream, honey, hints of white pepper. With water, cream, wet stones, peaches, hints of malted grains. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, airy, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh baked bread, malted grains, wet stones, honey, cream, peaches, white pepper. With water, peaches, cream, honey, hints of pencil erasers. 
Finish: Long. Malted grains, white pepper, wet stones, peaches. 

Comments: 

Cask 5655. Rich and apricotty, lots of jammy, even peppery notes. There’s some sulphurous, rubbery notes that appear with water. Very complex and tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tormore 24yo 1995/2019

Tormore 24yo 1995/2019

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
56.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Roast pork, honey, red grapes, butterscotch, stewed raspberries, hints of chocolate. With water, sandalwood, honey, chocolate, raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, hot, astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet. Vanilla, red grapes, stewed raspberries, chocolate, cinnamon, mace, raisins. With water, black tea, sea salt, stewed raspberries. 
Finish: Medium. Honey, red grapes, roast pork, cinnamon, hints of mint. 

Comments: 

Sweetly sherried with a meaty undernote, this whisky could well be a Mortlach. But it isn’t, it’s got a nice hit of cinnamon and mace, especially on the tongue. A beautiful mid-session dram. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tormore 9yo 2011/2021

Tormore 9yo 2011/2021

Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside 
White wine
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, smoke, peat, toast, cream, black tea, hints of greengages. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Honey, greengages, smoke, peat, leather, fresh baked bread, cream, hints of tar. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, fresh baked bread, cream, tar, peat. 

Comments: 

Peated bourbon cask Tormore. Quite fruity and rich, with a lot of smoke and leather. There’s a tarry medicinal background note that lets this whisky compare with the Islays. Rather good. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 105.24 (Tormore 25yo 1992/2018)

SMWS 105.24 (Tormore 25yo 1992/2018)

2018, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark gold
49% ABV
Dram

Nose: Olive oil, lemon zest, bananas, creme chantilly, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent.  
Tasting:  Sweet. Malted grains, bananas, creme chantilly, digestive biscuits, lemon zest, candle wax, cream cheese. 
Finish: Medium. Barley sugar, malted grains, digestive biscuits, lemon zest, olive oil. 

Comments: 

This is lovely, malty whisky. The malty notes are overlaid with biscuit, cereal, and fruit. To top it all off there’s a funky note that makes dramming this like eating banana cheesecake. It’s delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tormore 33yo 1984/2017

Tormore 33yo 1984/2017

Authentic Collection, Wm Cadenheads
Single malt - Speyside
Pale amber
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, white grapes, marzipan, vanilla, pineapples.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, astringent, loosens slightly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, olive oil, pineapples, honey, peaches, hints of fresh baked bread.
Finish: Long. Pineapples, peaches, honey, olive oil, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Not quite a stunning whisky, but very good indeed. Lacks old bottle effect perhaps? This should be very good in about 15 years, but we opened it (shame). There’s a whisper of oiliness to this, if not quite in the texture, then in the slightly bitter note on the tongue and on the nose. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Tormore 26yo 1992/2019

Tormore 26yo 1992/2019

First Editions, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Silver gold
45.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honeydew melons, green tea, fresh baked bread, cinnamon, pineapples, hints of candied orange. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly astringent, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Fresh baked bread, pineapples, sea salt, vanilla, candied orange, green tea, malted grains. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, bitter orange marmalade, sea salt, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask HL16487. This is another absolutely delicious First Editions dram, this one full of cereal, tropical fruit and savoury goodness. I haven't had many Tormores, and I can't really say how one should taste, but hopefully all the others I ever have taste this good.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Tormore 25yo 1992/2017

Tormore 25yo 1992/2017

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Varnished oak
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, red grapes, oranges, coffee, black tea, candied almonds, hints of dust. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, oily, sticky. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Red grapes, dust, vanilla, chocolate, black tea, burnt orange, driftwood smoke, dust. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, red grapes, burnt orange, coffee. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 12025. Sweet and sticky, oily and luscious, immensely sherried, yet complex. There's something burnt here alongside all the fruity sweet notes, coffee, burnt orange peel, and hints of smoke. It's really good sherried and aged whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 105.14 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

SMWS 105.14 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Dark honey
55.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange blossom, mint, dark chocolate, cloves, honey, hints of smoked bacon.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Plums, orange blossom, marmalade, honey, cloves, dark chocolate, hints of cinnamon.
Finish: Long. Honey, marmalade, plums, cloves.

Comments:

Sweet, fragrant and lovely. Lots of spice and fruit, with particularly nice notes of orange blossom. It tastes a little like one of those delicious Laduree macaroons - orange blossom flavour of course - but there's so much more going on here.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 105.13 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

SMWS 105.13 (Tormore 26 yo 1983/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Brown, tinge of ochre
56% ABV
Dram

Nose: Molasses, cherries, coca cola, palm sugar, chocolate, oranges, hints of tar.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, tingly, cool.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Molasses, cherries, chocolate, oranges, new plastic, palm sugar, chillies. With water, saltier, roast chicken, honey notes appear.
Finish: Long. Tobacco leaf, new plastic, cherries, molasses. With water, it turns less chemical, but saltier, brinier, with big notes of roast chicken.

Comments:

There's a chemical tang to this whisky, a sort of formica-like, new plastic wrap smell. I can never decide whether or not I like this flavour element, but it's present in some sherried whiskies, some of which I like and some of which I don't. Here it detracts from the whisky, but this Tormore is still pretty awesome, especially with water, when the glorious roast chicken notes appear.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 105.10 (Tormore 21 yo 1983/2005)

SMWS 105.10 (Tormore 21 yo 1983/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Orange amber
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Oranges, orange peel, marmalade, aniseed, molasses, raisins, hints of fennel. With water, sweeter, more oranges, orange peel, coriander seed.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slippery, warm.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Orange peel, molasses, oranges, raisins, lemon zest, aniseed, hints of fennel. With water, sweeter, orange peel, coriander seed.
Finish: Medium. Orange peel, molasses, raisins, walnut skins.

Comments:

Smells a little bitter, with marmalade notes in the nose that didn't bode well. Very different on the tongue though, filling and satisfying, with a slight bitter note. The sort of whisky you have instead of dinner.

Verdict:

I like this.