Brave New Spirits Tormore Tasting Notes

Whisky of Voodoo ‘The Nailed Puppet’ Speyside Single Malt 11 year old 52.6%

Batch 1 – Tormore aged in First and Second Fill Bourbon Barrels

Tasted: Jun 2022

The nose is a little tight but honeyed with apple, pear, peach and a touch of orange and gooseberry. Late vanilla and lemon.

The palate opens with some creamy oak, barley and apricot. Fuller than the nose suggests as the oak is more noticeable. Orange, pear, gooseberry, spice and citrus appears. Good length, if a little hot, but pleasantly spiced.

Diluted the nose is fuller and more honeyed and oaky. Simpler with late malt biscuits. The palate is also simpler and oakier. Less citrus, more malt. Longer, maltier finish.

Thompson Brothers Tormore Tasting Notes

Thompson Brothers Tormore 1992 (28 year old) 47.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Dist: 1992 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: July 2022

The nose is high toned and straw-like with some lovely. Juicy orange blossom honey, barley and subtle, mature, sawdusty oak. The aromas become quite creamy as the oak asserts itself. Lat marzipan and almond skin.

The palate is full and honeyed but there is a slightly raw edginess. Hints of tea leaf, cardboard and subtle orange. It becomes more astringent and rougher towards the middle. Short, astringent, bitter spiced finish.

With water the nose is simpler and shows more sugar coated orange, wet hay and tobacco leaf. The palate has come extremely cardboardy, which is a shame. The spirit is creaking!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Tormore Tasting Notes

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Tormore Batch 2 51.4%

Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Feb 2016

The nose is full, fragrant and tropical – honeydew melon, peach, pear and apricot notes  mingle with runny honey and sawdusty oak. With time a balancing lime citrus note appears along with some buttery oak notes.

Full and barley’d on the palate with hints of straw to begin with. Less tropical but showing a lovely density of apricot, lime and orange fruit. Obviously mature with subtle coffee’d oak. Long, fleshy, minerally and slightly citric with the alcohol drying a little but the oak lingers. In conclusion: A lovely Spey. I’d like to have seen a little more honey sweetness on the finish to balance the drier notes, but that nit picking!

Hannah Whisky Merchants Tormore Tasting Notes

Dalgety Limited Release Small Batch Tormore 2011 (11 year old) 50.5%

Refill Sherry Hogsheads

Dist: Jan 2011 Btl: July 2022/ Tasted: Aug 2022

The nose is fresh, citric and barley’d with a subtle sherry dried fruit influence. Hints of wheat flakes, vanilla and with time green apple and sweet pecan nuts.

The palate is oilier and fuller and shows a touch more sherried dried fruit along with a touch of fudge. Well balanced with a touch of barley, green fruit and menthol coming through. Good length with a malty, nutty, citric finish and a slightly earthy after-taste.

Lady of the Glen Rare Cask Tormore 2011 (11 year old) 55.1%

Cask 1 Sauternes Barrique Finish/ Dist: 2011 Btl: 2023/ Tasted: Mar 2023

The nose is soft and honeyed with a developing honeycomb note but also some raw tannins. It’s definitely edgier Sauternes rather than soft and sweet Sauternes. Late dried apricot and beeswax.

Raw Sauternes cask on the palate. It feels like licking out the inside of the cask! Tannic, but slightly honeyed with wood smoke, astringent green fruit, burnt scrub and honey coated tar!? Now I wasn’t expecting that!

Diluted the nose and the palate is still cask heavy but less raw and a bit softer and sweeter.

Chorlton Whisky Tormore Tasting Notes

Bourbon Hogshead

Dist: Nov 1992 Btl: July 2021/ Tasted: Jun 2022

The nose displays a noticeable alcohol prickle along with grass, lime and high toned, almost crunchy barley. With time toasty/ mature American oak and subtle burnt wood notes. It seems younger.

The palate is little edgy and alcoholic. Grippy barley, grass and lime follow. Quite a tart and alcoholic middle with practically no oak character bar a little toffee. Short, very intense finish and a barley’d after-taste.

Water brings out sugar, lanolin, white fruit, tangerine and soap on the nose. The palate has become fuller and oilier. Honeyed but simpler. The citrus has become quite muted and the middle has become a bit sugary. Longer, mature spirit finish with lingering barley.

Carn Mor Tormore Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Tormore 2011 (8 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel

Dist: 2011 Btl: Apr 2019/ Tasted: July 2019

Aromas of soft, buttery oak and fleshy apricot with hints of menthol, mint and eucalyptus. A touch of pear and citrus comes through to freshen the nose and in doing so allows some lovely barley notes to appear.

The palate opens with the soft vanilla oak with fleshy white fruit. white liquorice, menthol and eycalyptus. Like the nose a pleasant balancing citrus note comes through along with some soft spices. Slightly mouth-watering citrus and barley’d finish with returning oak.

Edition Spirits Tormore Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tormore 1992 (25 year old) 55.9%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: EDI0221/ HL13311

Dist: Jan 1992 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A dense and quite malty nose with baked fruit, dark honey, milk chocolate and subtle herbal-barley. The aromas display a lovely, elegant, Cognac-esque rancio and reek of age. Late hints of straw, old wood spice, vanilla, alcohol seeped apricot and tangerine.

The palate is mature and straw-like with delicate barley and refreshing citrus notes. Cognac-esque notes of apple and apricot come though on the middle. Excellent depth and complexity. Long, subtly spiced and sweet vanilla finish with lingering barley, minerals, malt, coffee, liquorice and almost grainy dried fruit.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tormore 1992 (26 year old) 45.7%

Bourbon/ Code: EDI0536

Dist: Nov 1992 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

The nose is quite dense and barley’d with edgy gooseberry, lime and balancing vanilla oak. Once the citrus kicks in the nose becomes very fresh and only with time does the oak begin to display some maturity.

The palate opens with the lightly toffee’d oak, followed by greengage, gooseberry and lime. It’s quite austere and citric on the middle but the toffee and barley notes attempt to return. Long with the oak/ citrus battle continuing and a subtle, grassy sauvignon blanc after-taste. Not hugely complex but really entertaining.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Tormore 1988 (29 year old) 44.9%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Sherry finished

Code: EDI0390/ HL15351/ Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Oct 2018

Intense and earthy aromas with no shortage of dried fruit, manure, gritty oloroso and a touch of vanilla. Overall the nose feels too old and disjointed. The spirit itself is quite raw and there is a hint of sweaty socks. With time hints of chickory, hickory and gooseberry appears.

The palate is a little watery and raw with decaying rose petal, manure, earth, and dried fruit. Slightly cardboardy middle and a spicy, slightly dirty, old marc-like finish with coffee’d tannins and earth.

North Star Spirits Tormore Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Tormore 1988 (27 year old) 51.5%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Madeira

Dist: 1988 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Nov 2016

Deep and heavier on the Madiera notes than the Arran. Slightly herbal with hints of mature, baked fruit and drier, nuttier Madeira. It becomes very herbal and nutty with time and hints of dunnage and cayenne pepper appear.

The palate is subtle and deep with again the mellow, dry nutty Madeira taking centre stage. Lightly chocolaty with crisp, mineral notes and oily apricot and Satsuma on the middle. Long and remaining biscuity with a pleasant dry, toasted toffee finish. Although pleasant the Madeira finish is a little too heavy.

Whisky Live Tel Aviv 2015 Tormore Tasting Notes

Whisky Live Tel Aviv 2015 Tormore 1995 (19 year old) 49.1%

Bourbon Hogshead 20315/Tasted: Mar 2016

The nose is mature and woody with cinnamon and pepper notes mingling with chunky, herbal barley and a touch of baked fruit. With time it becomes quite malty with developing marzipan oak.

Soft and showing a little more toffee’d oak on the palate along with baked apple and hints of coffee, malt sand vanilla. Lovely depth and maturity. Long and juicy with a pleasant, mouth-watering flourish. The oak bitters a little at the death. In conclusion: A lovely mature Spey showing plenty of baked fruit character.

Hunter Laing Tormore Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 (19 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2793/ HL15243

Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: May 2018/ Tasted: Jul 2018

A rich, pruney dried fruit nose with Armagnac notes. Very vibrantly citric with treacle, coffee, rainated fruit, dried orange rind and a touch of herbal Oloroso. Lovely depth but as expected (from the colour) it’s a bit of a sherry monster.

The palate opens with milk chocolate, coffee, toffee and soft dried fruit. Less citric, but still pleasantly balanced. Long with the citrus holding, helped by the alcohol and showing subtle treacle, chocolate, and malt. Although it’s a sherry monster, it’s impressively mellow!

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 (26 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Sherry Butt Finish

Code: OMC2478/ HL10665

Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: Apr 2015/ Tasted: Jun 2015

Quite malty for a Tormore with hints of treacle, herbs and dried sherried fruit. Good maturity with some oxidised dried fruit joining the light sherry.

Soft, and sweetly spiced on the palate with Armagnac-esque dried fruit and walnuts. Like the nose it is quite malty and rich with a pleasant grassy, herbal and spicy finish. Again pleasantly mature.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1992 (26 year old) 47.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2940/ HL16492

Dist: Nov 1992 Btl: Oct 2019/ Tasted: Dec 2019

Aromas of earthy barley, malt, dark, oxidised fruit, pepper, cinnamon, clove and hints of vanilla.

The palate isn’t as dark as the nose suggests as there is more sawdusty oak and barley on display. Lovely softness and maturity with subtler wood spices and vanilla. Medium length with pepper, malt and cinnamon in the finish.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 (27 year old) 50%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2558/ HL12239

Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: Apr 2016/ Tasted: May 2016

Beautiful aromas of luscious dried prune and apricot, liberally coated in syrup. Deep, aromatic, dusty oak vanillins and barley follows along with juicy date, fig and almost tropical melon. The sherry notes are very subtle and slightly herbal, but they add a subtle, but intense peppery spiciness.

Lovely weight to the palate with dried plum, prune, apricot and raisin. Extremely juicy and elegant with layers of subtle sherry character and hints of liquorice, almond and walnut. Lovely vibrancy with gentle spice and a touch of dark chocolate. Long and remaining juicy with lingering dried fruit and loads of sweet tobacco smoke, cocoa powder and treacle. Ooooh, that’s seriously smoky now!

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 (28 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2646/ HL13189

Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: Jan 2017/ Tasted: May 2017

Malt biscuits and toasted cereal on the nose with hard barley, baked fruit and herbal rye-like notes along with some oily, old marc-like notes. To be honest it feels like the spirit is creaking.

The palate is very much like the nose. Malt biscuits, decaying, old rose petal marc and hints of sugar water. I’m afraid that this is old and knackered. Short, slightly mineral with a green fruit finish and finally a little honey. The finish is its best feature!

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tormore 1988 (28 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2737/ HL14481

Dist: Nov 1988 Btl: Nov 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

A dense nose but quite light and elegant with dark honey, treacle and Armagnac-esque dried fruit. Hints of warm vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg appear, along with dark chocolate, coffee and some ascetic/ citric notes.

The palate displays a good richness of sweet, riaisnated fruit with hints of treacle and tar. Light citrus and mineral notes freshen the middle but the finish is quite woody and tannic with a very slight bitterness. Good length though with lingering treacle and caramelised orange.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Tormore 2012 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: HEP0384

Dist: Apr 2012 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Nov 2019

A heavy nose of burnt caramel and slightly industrial barley. Lightly oiled with hints of lemon and vanilla.

The palate is fresher and more citric but still quite industrial with burnt caramel and hard barley on the middle. Very austere and astringent finish.