A dram from yesteryear, this early 1990s Tormore was bottled by independent bottler Black Adder as part of the raw cask series. For this bottle line, Black Adder collects cask debris from the filters after dumping the whisky and adds a bit to each bottle.  Yum, texture!

However, in my excitement to share the bottle with friends and finish it off, I completely neglected to take a photo of it… and promptly recycled it before I realized that I had never taken a picture for the website.

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Whisky: Tormore 12 Year (1990), Blackadder Cask 1964

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 65.9%

Cask: Refill Hogshead

Age: 12 Years (Distilled 2 Feb. 1990, Bottled April 2002)

Notes: Spirited, though no surprise considering the flammable abv, fruity with hints of mint, akin to Fruit Strip Gum— something I was never without during the summer’s of my childhood. Green apples and guavas in a brown paper bag, perhaps a little bruised and overripe. Herbal and grassy with a touch of honey that came out stronger with a few drops of water and left more chamomile tea and honey vibes. Medium-bodied on the palate, the whisky was spirited and peppery, perhaps even a bit feinty at times, but also wonderfully fruity. Fruit Stripe Gum emerged with slightly artificial apple, pear, and guava notes, while white chocolate and nougat carried me deeper into the candy aisle. Peppery and slightly chemical toward the end with more spirit tickle. Water tamed the heat, though a touch of pithy bitterness and astringency cropped in. The finish was medium to long, numbing and peppery without water, a few drops turned it slightly waxy with pears, honey, and grass.

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Score: 6 (76)

Mental Image: High Octane Chewing Gum

Conclusion: After two decades in the bottle, this had lost non of its vibrancy or spirited prickle— it needed water to open up and relax. The dram was otherwise in line with most of the Tormore that I have had. The fruits were slightly more candied as some of the sweeter aspects retained their youthful vigor, though it was easy to see how these elements might soften into some of the more mature Tormore from this era. Overall, a fun artifact from the period, I shared this with the handful of other Tormore fans I know.  I am still not a fan of the char bits that one must wade through at the end of a Blackadder bottle— that is just not the kind of texture I want on my whisky.