Tormore on the rise under new ownership
A distillery I certainly hope to visit one day is the Tormore Distillery in Speyside, not too far from Grantown-on-Spey and right along the A95. Who has not stopped the car when spotting this magnificent distillery from the road, just to snap a few pictures? I know I did. Sadly, Tormore has always been closed to the public, with a possible exception being maybe a one-off open day during the Spirit of Speyside Festival. Since 2022, Tormore is part of Elixir Distillers. You may know the name from the whisky gurus Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, who have now ventured into distilling. I remember the days when I was selling bottles of 1972 Brora, Ardbeg and Port Ellen to Sukhinder when me and a few mates took over a collection from someone. He was the perfect gentleman and gave us a more than decent price for these desirable bottles. I am sure Sukhinder conducts business like that with everyone and everywhere. These are passionate whisky enthusiasts first, and in those people I trust to make delightful whisky!
Tormore has been quietly purring away since the takeover, but now we can finally taste something that carries the (new) official Tormore label. The distillery released a Blueprint Cask Program and a few single casks. We will taste one of each. These Tormore expressions were of course made under the previous ownership, being Chivas Brothers. I understand there is still a line to them, to provide whisky for blends. Tormore can reach up to almost 5 million litres of alcohol per year, but according to the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2025, the new owners produce around 3 million litres. On a sidenote: Elixir is also commissioning a new distillery on Islay. Portintruan Distillery will be able to produce 1 million litres of alcohol. We sure hope there is enough water and peat for everyone to get along nicely on Islay! It is a point of concern, I understand.
Tormore 10 years old, Blueprint Cask Program, bottled at 48 % abv
First things first: One of the three Blueprint releases of the new official Tormore, in a serious looking bottle, all at 10 years old. (I liked the previous bottle with the tall neck, Chivas also bottled some official Caperdonich in those.) We could choose from cream sherry and charred oak variants, but we wanted the simplest variant, which is bourbon barrels. A batch of 1500 bottles called an official pre-release. Did not know that was a thing, until now!
Upon Sipping: As expected, very clean and bright, with freshly washed green apples, very light lychees and peaches, some vanilla but not overpowering, leaving room for nuance. The mouthfeel is rather creamy, with soft notes of whipped cream and sponge cake. On the finish we pick up a very clear vanilla signature, but also a balanced bitterish wood note, showing the active stamp of the casks on this Tormore. It is all rather modest and subdued. A classic quietness, not shouting for attention, simply being. This 10 years old Tormore is as much a vibe as a well-rounded example of Speyside’s best. With water, it is like opening a pack of gummi bears, which as a diabetic I love the frustrating smell of. Thank God for zero sugar variants these days! On the palate, the taste shifts a little towards lemons, but not too sour. The finish has a touch of 1960s soul in it now, with a dustiness and hints of old malt from a bottle with a tin screwcap closing. As renowned collectors I am sure this will have delighted the Singh family.
Word to the Wise: If anyone expected an explosive dram, they will be disappointed. This Tormore enters the scene modestly, as a classic Speyside with an incredibly clean signature. Lovely!
Score: 83 points.
Tormore 2003, 21 years old, Legacy Casks, bottled at 48,4 % abv
First things first: The new Tormore released some single casks too, in addition to the Blueprint Cask Program, and this is the oldest one we could acquire. This whisky was distilled in May 2003 and bottled in March 2025. First fill ex-bourbon barrel #647 produced 226 bottles. (Picture is that of a sister bottling.)
Upon Sipping: In the glass just minutes after finishing the 10 years old, this is a proper session! It is surprisingly similar to the 10, but has more fruit to show. No more green apples, but the peaches remained, and lots of other soft skinned fruits. Maybe even some golden kiwi. Again, such a modest whisky, collected and calm, not shouting “Hey, I am the new kid on the block, see me here!” No, this is distinguished old malt from Speyside. On the palate, we now get a more complex experience though, with more tropical fruits and delicate spices. I would expect a more bitter finish, seeing as the 10 years old already had a strong cask signature, but on the contrary. You do get a woody taste, but it is well balanced and satisfying. With water, it follows exactly the same path as the youngling. A shift from fruit to candy, and in this instance more flowers, like a yellow bush alongside the tarmac going east to west on Speyside. Light hints of petrichor. The taste has become even sweeter now, with those peaches very talkative. It is all so clean, as a bright blue sky above an field of yellow barley.
Word to the Wise: I am sure there is more excitement to be had when you start doing all these modern things like pouring this in a sherry cask or, heaven forbid, a wine cask. But in the end, single malt whisky is an artisanal product, and Tormore does that heritage great justice.
Score: 87 points.
Tormore 16 years old, 1997 – 2014, bottled at 58 % abv by Berry Bros. & Rudd
First things first: A vintage 1997 Tormore, cask #6412, and not much else I can tell you. We throw in this sample just because we can. Because of the significantly higher strength we taste it at the end of this session, but of course in age it holds the middle nice between the other two.
Upon Sipping: Full power Tormore, let’s see what that brings in variation. Yes, this is more loud, with lots more vanilla but also the same fruit basket as we found in the other samples. Tormore is such a light Speyside malt, a cask will soon dominate the conversation. That is not bad when a good cask is involved. This expression has a rather dangerous edge too, again a flowerbed but more wild roses than flax and linseed. Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla doing much of the talking. I love the finish on this one, which carries more punch and leaves a lingering tropical note that was absent in the previous samples. Or at least not as noticeable. Is that the cask strength doing the heavy lifting? With water, this Tormore blooms open like a coming out ball for whiskies. The palate has become more juicy and mouth covering, showing me what beauty Speyside whisky can carry.
Word to the Wise: This one takes the crown today, with a much more exuberant fruity character than the official ones. But I see a chosen road in the “new” Tormore, modesty and gentle introduction. Both styles have something going for them.
Score: 88 points.