Tormore 29 Years Old 1993 Cask #5053 (Connoisseurs Choice)

Gordon & MacPhail bottled this Tormore single malt matured to 29 year old from 1993, drawn from cask 5053 and bottled at 54.5%. Just 554 bottles were filled. Tormore was founded in 1958 in Speyside, near the Cairngorms; it is a listed building, the white cathedral of Speyside. The distillery is sometimes called the white cathedral of Speyside for its grand design.

Distilled on soft Speyside water through purifier stills, building the firm, clean Tormore style. Maturation in a sherry cask laid dried fruit over the nutty malt. Beyond twenty years the malt grows deep and waxy, almond, dried fruit and a polished oak over the citrus. The purifiers raise reflux, giving the clean, nutty spirit Tormore is known for. Most of the spirit matures off site, much of it in refill ex-Bourbon wood. The distillery sits near Grantown-on-Spey, in sight of the Cromdale Hills.

At cask strength 54.5% it is muscular yet clean. The Oloroso gives dried fruit and a toasted nuttiness, and melon, nut and a grassy note sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. It is clean and structured, the nutty spirit shining through. Green apple and almond draw out the close. This is Tormore's clean, nutty Speyside style.