Whisky: Tormore 31 Year (1990), WhiskySponge No. 33

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 53%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 31 Years (Distilled 1990, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Soft and inviting, orchard fruits, wood, textiles and lace, antiques, vanilla, molasses, hints of clean florals.

Palate: Medium-bodied, vibrant and clean, orchard fruits with hints of guava candies, shortbread cookies, wood, antiques, dusty and musty at times, cigar box and old paper.

Finish: Long and lingering with orchard fruits, wood, and hints of vanilla cookies.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Rummaging through Closet Memories

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was soft and inviting, with sliced orchard fruits, apple sauce, and hints of creamy nougat. Wooden antiques and modeling kits sat further in with hemp rope and the dusty textile note of lace and old blankets. Vanilla and molasses cookies developed with more time, along with mellow lilies and clean florals. Medium-bodied and vibrant, orchard fruits and buttery shortbread cookies opened onto wooden antiques and modeling kits. The hemp rope and antique textiles appeared again, with intriguing notions of guava hard candies in the background. Cigar boxes and old papers furthered the impression of sorting through an old closet. The finish was long and lingering with orchard fruits, wood, and hints of vanilla cookies.

A few drops of water brought more citrus to the aroma, with hints of chocolate joining nougat on the palate. I thought this was fine at its bottling strength, but a few drops of water unlocked some lovely additional complexity.

Overall, this very mature Tormore was well-balanced and delightful as it shifted between orchard fruits, cookies, and a dusty old closet. Often, it reminded me of my grandmother’s house: in my memories, she always had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ready and did not mind us rummaging through her various closets in search of adventure and treasure. With this whisky, I could close my eyes and almost feel like I was back in those moments— cookie in hand as I burrowed through material long forgotten.

Theme: End-of-Year Favorites

The theme this December 2023 is cleaning the house, and the reviews posted this month are either things I did not get a chance to slide into a theme week earlier this year, drams I have poured to celebrate the holidays and end of the school year, or as part of our online whisky group’s mystery dram advent calendar. These are posted in no particular order!