This Tormore 1999 from Gordon & MacPhail has been on my list for a while to write a review about it, but it never happened. The bottle has been open for quite some time, namely since Spirit of Speyside, but somehow it always slides to the back of my cupboard. And with many other bottles in front of it, I forget that I still have this bottle. Anyway, I have found it again! So today it will really happen.
But first, let’s go back to Spirit of Speyside. Because that was the reason that I bought this bottle. We stayed right next to the Tormore distillery, in one of the old workers’ houses. But we were not the only one there, as a group of lovely whisky friends of ours were staying next to us. And to get through the evenings, of course, there had to be a substantial line-up of Tormore single malts. This Tormore 1999 was my contribution. I will not go into detail, but you can imagine that we had a great time during the festival there. Good memories. 🙂
This Tormore 1999 has matured in refill bourbon barrels and is bottled in 2014 at 58% ABV.
Tormore 1999 tasting notes
Nose: Quite fruity at first, yellow apples and tropical fruits like pineapples, kiwis and then it goes towards vanilla. Caramel fudge. Later also a hint of icing sugar. Water makes it less fruity so it seems. Bringing out pastry
Taste: Very drinkable at 58% ABV actually. Vanilla. Milk chocolate followed by a hint of lemons. And a little bitterness from pink grapefruit. Somewhat peppery and menthol in the background. With water: everything is still there but with more vanilla and grapefruit and somewhat creamier.
Finish: Mid-long, mostly with vanilla and a hint of kiwi. Somewhat oaky. Caramel toffee in the end.
It’s nice. I pick up more than I initially thought. But now that I am really taking the time for it, I discover many more flavours. Perhaps not the most complex dram, but one that you have to sit down with to really discover what it has in store. Water makes it slightly better, but dangerously drinkable at 58% ABV.
