So what the heck is Tormore anyway?
Based on Royal Mile Whiskies, it’s a “pear and melon-y type whisky that’s smooth”.
Thus why I haven’t had many. There are OBs, and the odd IB
But let’s back up a tad and discuss how I originally tried Tormore 24 1995 The Whisky Agency Heads & Tails. I was at a tasting, helping to determine the next whisky that a group would be bottling as part of a cask pick.
The host, a lovely gentleman, stated he had obtained another sample, however it was already spoken for. After trying half a dram, I attempted (and failed) to argue we should obtain it. And that’s okay, because someone had already spoken for it.
As such I waited and had friends purchase it from that spot as soon as it was available. And because I was excited, friends split it with me.
But I am frequently wrong. Perhaps I was wrong this time too. So let’s see how this Tormore tastes, shall we?
Price: $260 CAD
Region: Speyside
Vintage: 1995
Bottled: 2019
Cask type: Hogshead
Abv: 47.2%
Colour: 5Y 8/6
Nose: Strawberry, buttered corn on the cob, fennel, nectarine pie, mint
Ok, I wasn’t wrong (about the nose at least). Immediate cereal/buttery, spice, strong stone fruits, and did I mention more butter? Because there is more butter. It’s butter, acidity, and mint.
Good times. But I mean, at this point it’s just a very, very buttery fruit/sherry mix. Maybe I hyped it too much?
Taste: Grass, anise, lots of nectarine, toffee, brine
Wow, that’s a lot of nectarine. Really rich there. Didn’t notice that before. However… The backup flavours pair very well with nectarine. It almost balances it, somehow, which is odd because usually when there’s a ton of one flavour it really, really takes over.
Or maybe nectarines are magic to me.
Finish: Red licorice, lemongrass, cereal, peach tea, roast vegetables
So you know how the anise was a side dancer in the taste? Well like almost all of the women from Destiny’s Child (or probably some K-Pop group if you’re not old like me) they have gone onto great success (I count Freddy vs. Jason a great success), so does the Anise.
Right here it’s the main element, with vegetal, tannic, fruity, cereal, and lovely anise notes. I’m a fan.
Conclusion: Balanced and lovely. Well.. Balanced is odd to say. There’s a finish and a nose that are so well balanced and very lovely. However there’s also a metric ton of nectarine on the taste that would mean I’m wrong.
But somehow the flavour combinations going on with this overabundance of stone fruit made it work. Now I’m out here looking at other Tormores.
I don’t think you could pour this for a whisky fan and they do not like it. Maybe if you don’t like sherried whiskies. And even then, that’s just a maybe, because more of the malt shows up than the sherry impact. End of the day, it’s tasty, try it.
85/100
Scotch review #1396, Speyside review #392, Whisky Network review #2072
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