Tormore 10 Years Old 2015 Benchmark (Murray McDavid)

A Tormore single malt, selected and bottled by Murray McDavid, a 10 year old Speyside malt from 2015 and bottled at 54.1%. The outturn was 499 bottles. Tormore, opened in 1960 beneath the Cromdale Hills in Speyside, is one of Scotland's most striking distilleries. Long a filler for the Long John and Ballantine's blends, Tormore was rarely seen as a single malt.

The spirit was run through purifier stills for a light, clean spirit, to build a clean, citrussy, almond edged character. A wine cask shaped it, the fruit meeting the clean, nutty spirit. Younger here, it keeps a clean, nutty freshness over orchard fruit. The light, ester rich make takes cask character well across maturation. The distillery doubled from four stills to eight in 1972, then settled back to four pairs. It has used wood chips from local forestry to fire its stills since 1984.

At a full 54.1% it is intense yet nutty. The Rum cask brings brown sugar and a tropical lift, and apple, citrus and a soft almond meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Soft orchard fruit and nut sit behind the sweetness. A nutty, gently spiced finish lingers. This is a clean, citrussy Speyside single malt.