Tormore 22 Years Old 2000 Cask #1252 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Tormore was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, a 22 year old release from 2000, drawn from cask 1252 and bottled at 59.1%. 618 bottles in all. Set a mile south of the River Spey, Tormore has distilled since 1960. It was designed by Sir Albert Richardson, a President of the Royal Academy, in a grand ornamental style.

It was drawn off the distillery's swan neck stills with their purifiers, for a delicate, ester rich spirit. A sherry cask wrapped the light spirit in dried fruit and a nutty depth. Beyond twenty years the malt grows deep and waxy, almond, dried fruit and a polished oak over the citrus. A patient maturation suits the light, nutty Tormore character. For most of its life its spirit vanished quietly into blends rather than into bottles of its own. Elixir Distillers bought Tormore in 2022 and are reviving it as a single malt brand.

Undiluted at 59.1%, it is layered. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and a gentle vanilla from the wood, with almond, apple and a clean citrus. The mouthfeel is light, the fruit carried on a nutty body. A gently drying, nutty finish lingers. This is a Speysider from the white cathedral of the Spey.