Whisky: Tormore 14 Year, Gordon & MacPhail

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 46%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon

Age: 14 Year

Nose: Soft citrus, herbal, and grassy. Line-dried cotton linens and meadow flowers appeared between tangy citrus and apple. Earthy decay and autumnal notes came through behind citrus zest and unripened tropical fruits. Hints of winged elm and musty foliage— suddenly, I was back in my ecological science course, counting trees and traipsing among the fallen leaves.

Palate: Medium to light-bodied with mellow citrus and notes of fallen leaves and old papers. Book bindings, old pages, and glue mixed with subtle citrus— closer to air freshener or cleaning chemicals than actual fruit. While not dry or drying, the flavors called to mind fallen leaves, bare branches, and cold stone— it was the feeling of autumn’s dried leaves and sparkling apple cider. Preserved lemon peel and honey came through at the end on an earthy-mineral undercurrent.

Finish: Lingering citrus and herbal tea notes.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Watching Autumn Leaves from the Library

Notes: Intimately familiar, this young Tormore may have lacked a ton of depth to its flavors, but boy, did it hit some nostalgic notes. The aroma brought me back to my ecological science coursework, something only a few drams had previously accomplished, and those carried me back to pond muck rather than dried leaves. I relished the opportunity to be out in the woods studying rather than in the classroom, and I was amazed how quickly our teacher had us city-folk identifying trees and plants so that we could survey plots of land.

The flavor profile pulled me in a different direction— still firmly in the autumn world of fallen leaves and dried vegetation, but now watching it all from the comfort of the library. Notes of old books— no doubt familiar to anyone in academia or who explored their college library (perhaps hiding out in there from time to time)— mixed wonderfully with apple cider and herbal impressions of tea lightly sweetened with honey.

Overall, the dram had me longing for autumn, and, to accompany the experience, my brain suddenly dredged up “Raven’s Descent,” the autumn theme music from Stardew Valley. Unsure I remembered the slightly atmospheric music correctly; I pulled it up on YouTube. I found it matched the dram perfectly as those slightly herbal notes moved between fallen leaves, warm tea, or tobacco—a warm blanket of a dram, simple but comforting.

Image Credit: Whiskybase