The 21st of September, a new release selected by The Whisky Mercenary will be available in stores. It is a Tormore 1998 single cask in the Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive series.
Tormore 14 yo 1998 (50%, G&M Exclusive for The Whisky Mercenary 2013, first fill bourbon barrel #1586, 277 btl.)
Tormore 14 yo 1998 (50%, G&M Exclusive for The Whisky Mercenary 2013, first fill bourbon barrel #1586, 277 btl.)Nose: a modern profile. Plenty of vanilla custard and cake. Frosties. Hints of sweetened lemon juice and gooseberries. Evolves towards more candied fruits (pineapple cubes) but on the whole it’s not really a fruit bomb. A dollop of honey. Subtle oak, herbs and a few grassy notes as well.
Mouth: sweet and juicy. Quite powerful as well, with a profile that echoes much older BenRiachs. Pears, pineapple and pink grapefruit. Some biscuity notes. Towards the end it returns to grass and a tangy herbal / bitter tonic combination that’s less appealing in my opinion.
Finish: medium length, still sweet, but with a growing grassiness and soft bitterness.
On the nose I thought I had seen it all before: well-made but nothing special. However on the palate it does surpass the usual, modern, first fill bourbon profile. A nice, affordable daily dram. Around € 65.
Score: 86/100