Review by: The Muskox

FederalAgent has a strange obsession with this rather off-the-beaten-path distillery. He can’t escape it. Every night, he plucks a non-Tormore sample from his shelf, stares at it with a disappointed dejection, then pours it slowly into the sink, sobbing silently.

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Distillery: Tormore.

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 58.5%. Cask strength.

Age: 14 years. Distilled February 3rd 2007. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: 1st-fill bourbon barrel.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Very creamy-sweet. Orange creamsicles, banana pudding, and crisp yellow apples. Sweet things covering other sweet things: vanilla-frosted cupcakes, caramel-covered roast hazelnuts and chocolate-dipped sponge toffee. Slightly darker notes of espresso foam, toasted wood and, as the name implies, leather handbags.

Water adds a coconut note and some darker stonefruit.

Palate: Fluffy texture with moderate ethanol heat. Arrives with honey-glazed cereals and banana cream pie. Develops to very fragrant vanilla beans and marshmallow-studded hot chocolate. Creamy coffee and scorched oak staves follow.

A drop of water brings intense rich woody spices to the development. Adding enough water to bring the proof down maintains the general banana-vanilla-coffee-woody character, adding a bit more creaminess.

Finish: Medium-length. Chocolate gelato, Grand Marnier, bread pudding, and more hints of toasted oak and leather.

With a drop of water, the finish is a little drier and nuttier.

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Alternative SMWS bottling name: “Ferrero roast-chaise”

Conclusion: Pretty good! It fits quite neatly into my conception of Tormore, which is as maybe the “scotchliest” scotch there is. Rather sweet, straight-down-the-middle, caramel-and-oak kind of style. This one has a bit more going on than just that, of course – It’s sort of a spicier and nuttier version of the Glen Grant 18 I tried the other day. A fair bit of heat – I think it does better with water. There’s also an interesting “fluffy” texture, like you’d get in instant hot chocolate. Overall, on the good side of mediocre.

Final Score: 81.

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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.