Tormore

Tormore Distillery

History The Tormore is one of the younger Scottish whiskies, the distillery construction began in 1958 and was completed in 1960. It was the first new distillery to be built in the country in the 20th century. Designed by Alexander Cullen with input from Sir Albert Richardson for Long John International, it is a listed building, and one of the most architecturally striking distilleries. The building is made of granite, has copper rotors and a clock which plays four different Scottish songs each quarter of an hour. A village of workers houses were built in the same style, which was up for sale in its entirety in 2004, for offers over £550,000. The topiary hedges in the garden are also clipped to the shape of a bell or still. In 1972, the distillery was expanded from four to eight stills. These were converted to be heated by wood chips in 1984, a by-product of area’s forestry. Long John was absorbed by Whitbread & Co in 1975, and the distillery was acquired by Allied Distillers Ltd the same year. The Tormore distillery has been controlled by Pernod-Ricard since they purchased Allied Domecq in 2005. A time capsule in the shape of a pot-still is buried in the forecourt, which is intended to be opened in 2060. It contains glasses and a tregnum of Long John, the original owners’ own blended whisky.

The Whiskyphiles tasting notes

Official bottling
  • Tormore14 Tormore 14 Years Old (2014) - Yes, this is a very enjoyable digestif type whisky. Complex and reasonably full-bodied with a range of interesting fruit and caramelised sugar flavours before that refreshing peppermint cream ending. A moreish sipping whisky with a final cleansing effect on the palate. I suspect this would pair equally well with a variety of desserts such as dark chocolate, chocolate torte, tarte aux citron or just a good bowl of juicy fresh strawberries and cream. 84/100
Independent bottling
Duncan Taylor
  • Tormore 23 Year old 1990 single malt scotch whisky Duncan Taylor Dimensions Cask 1588 Tormore 23 Years Old 1990 Dimensions (2021) - Mostly spirit driven but later I though I was picking up some sherry influences like chocolate and toffee then questioned if this was just prolonged ex-Bourbon cask influence? Either way fragrant on the nose and very tasty on the palate.
Gordon & MacPhail
  • gm_connoisseurs-choice_tormore-1995_cs_601-18096-sml Tormore 23 Years Old 1995 Connoisseurs Choice (2019) - Tormore 1995 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength whisky review: Very enjoyable, mostly appealing to my sweet-tooth and love of chocolate. Some cask char influences and a hint of mint in places had me guessing perhaps refill before I fully appreciated the age of this whisky! Plenty of power in here grows from a shy nose to a hugely sherry influenced finish and had me wishing this influence was spread a little more across the whole experience? Very drinkable at cask strength. 87/100
The Single Cask
  • Tormore-23-years-old-1993-The-Single-Cask Tormore 23 Years Old 1995 The Single Cask (2020) - Tormore 23 Years Old 1995 Whisky Review: A fantastic combination of juicy tropical fruits, drying tannic leather and soft, gentle, ginger cake spice, superb. 88/100