Tormore 16 Year

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Tormore

Region: Speyside

Price: €7.00 for a 30 mL sample

ABV: 48%

Cask Type: Bourbon

Age: 16 Year

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat. Non-Chill Filtered but has Color Added.

Nose: It starts off with a bunch of fruits, its a mixed bag of them with notes of apple and plum standing out. Then there’s a very strong not of peanut butter that reminds me an awful lot of opening a packet of Nutter Butter cookies. There’s a slightly fragrant note towards the end as well of star anise.

Palate: The mouthfeel is on the creamy side, not the milky creamy but more of a nut better creaminess. To go with that creamy mouthfeel is a mix of almond butter and a bit of Nutella. A boozy red berry compote joins it along with a note of a warm sugar donut (specifically thinking of 꽈배기/Korean twisted donuts).

Finish: Medium to long in length. The boozy berry compote pops up again before finishing with an earthier tone of roasted barley tea and coffee.

Conclusion: Tormore is one of those distilleries that appears to be perfectly happy flying under the radar. This 16 year old expression is one of their few distillery releases. I have to say, it’s quite different than your average Speyside. The creamy, nutty notes that are throughout are quite memorable and delicious and play very well well with the fruit and that little bit of donut that pops up. However, I’m left feeling like there is something missing despite having some lovely and well balanced flavors. I can’t quite place my finger on what it is, but that little feeling of emptiness kept biting at me as I had this. Still, a very good whisky and one I’m glad to have tried.

Final Score: 82.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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