TORMORE 1998 15YO - CHIVAS BROS CASK STRENGTH EDITION

Tormore Distillery, located right on the A95 road, is an impressive sight no matter from what direction you approach it. Its big, cathedral-like and has a large front garden with bushes cut in the shape of stills. But there are a lot of pretty distilleries in Scotland and also ones making more noise about themselves than Tormore does. So are this malt best off living a quiet life or can Tormore play with the big boys?

The impressive looking Tormore Distillery, October 17th 2014 © The Malt Desk

Tormore 1998 15yo (20.07.1998/19.06.2014) 57,4% Batch#TM001, Chivas Bros Cask Strength Edition

Colour is straw

Nose:
A variety of garden fruit and malt, warm apple pie,  and a vague hint of varnish. Green pesto, bread croutons and vague hints of curry, add to that some vanilla and grassy notes - a pretty much straight forward Speyside style. Do I detect notes of elderberry and cantaloupe in here as well?? The alcohol shows itself a bit but calms down with a few drops of water. This also brings out some lemon peel and herbal notes

Taste:
A malty and fruity floral theme comes out straight away. Also quite the spice, ginger and peppers. Pears are in here for sure along with sweet almonds. The fruits notes turn more tropical over time with honey melon and mango. The whole thing finishes of with a rush of thick malt and just a little oak.

Can this play along? yes, it certainly can! its a dram on the sweet side, yes, but an amazing nose and lovely malty finish takes this one a long way...

Good stuff!

Finally, thanks to Kalle for the sample!

86/100!

TORMORE 1984 29YO - ARCHIVES

Tormore is one of those distilleries that lives a pretty anonymous life.

The distillery is owned by Pernod Ricard/Chivas Group (since 2005) and built in 1958, its a 'new' distillery in historical terms. Its location right on the A95 running through the heart of Speyside and its white buildings makes it a very impressive sight. But that's about all you get!

There's no visitor's centre there so the place - although very picturesque with its white buildings and still shaped bushes in the garden - you'll just have to settle for an outside look. Inside they have 4 sets of stills producing roughly 4.000.000 liters of spirit annually, most of it of course going into the Chivas Brothers blends.

It will suit the Chivas Brothers to open this distillery to the public, maybe during the Spirit of Speyside Festival to give us anoraks a look inside this huge almost cathedral-like building.

 Tormore Distillery, 11th October 2008 © The Malt Desk

Tormore 1984 29yo (xx.02.1984/xx.03.2013) 51%, barrel#3669, 90 bottles, Archives 'The Fishes of Samoa'

Colour is pale gold

Nose:
Initially bursts of oak, 'Lux' hand soap, vanilla, confectioners sugar/candy canes and also hint of paint and mint.

Taste:
Cooked apple and orange peel, Walker's ginger shortbread and peppery spices. A firm malt and citrus style sherbet finish along with peppery oak and hints of nutmeg.

A good dram this one and by far the best Tormore I've ever tasted!
Again I see a certain style in fruitiness in these 3 bottlings picked by Menno and CJ.

88/100! ...and still available here