Tormore 1984 Review

“Old and Wise”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Speyside

Brand: Tormore 1984 (Archives - The Fishes of Samoa)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 29 Years

ABV: 51 %

Date: 26/07/2014

Colour: Light Gold

Nose: Sweet, a little Sour as well and Mature. Lots of Fruity Aromas like Apple, Pear, Orange, Pineapple and Mango. I also find Bourbon characteristics such as Vanilla and Cinnamon. Sweet Cake is there along with Toasted Barley, Salted Butter, Dusty Oak, Condensed Milk, Milk Chocolate, Grass, Straw, Mint, Herbal Tea and Lemon. You can still find some Alcohol but nevertheless the Nose of this Tormore is well-balanced and pleasant. Very nice interplay between Cask and Spirit.

Palate: Fruity, Floral, Malty and Spicy with Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Vanilla, Heather Honey, Milk Chocolate, Ginger-Flavoured Tea, Caramel, Cake, Pepper, Nutmeg and Aniseed.  

Finish: Quite Long, Sweet at first but Dry in the end. Lots of Fruit and Spices. I find Orange, Tropical Fruit, Sugared Nuts, Vanilla, Sweet Barley, Marzipan, Oak,  Pepper and Nutmeg.

No need to add Water to this Tormore.

Rating: 88.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

General Remarks: The Tormore Distillery was founded in 1958 and is located in Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire. Since 2005 it's part of Chivas Brothers/Pernod Ricard. The official Standard Bottling is the 12 Years. Most of the Spirit goes into Blends like Long John, Ballentine's and Cream of the Barley. The Tormore I'm reviewing today was distilled in 1984 when the Distillery still belonged to Whitbread.

The 1984 I am tasting today was distilled in February 1984 and was bottled at Cask Strength in March 2013. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Barrel with Cask # 3669 out of which 90 bottles were commercialised via the Independent Whisky Bottler Whiskybase in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Archives is their relatively young own label. This Single Malt is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered. I'm not sure it's still available at Whiskybase. It quite expensive at around 200 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Nice.

Conclusion: It's not everyday I taste a 29 Year Old Single Malt! It's also the first time I had a Tormore in my glass. And I liked it. The Nose is well-rounded, balanced and mature. A nice combination of Sweet and (slightly) Sour Fruit, Dairy and Vanilla. On the Palate, the Fruit is joined by Honey and Spices. The Finish is quite Long and remarkably Dry in the end. Cask and Spirit worked well together to create a very nice Single Malt. It is expensive of course but that can't be avoided with most older whiskies. If you like this Flavour profile, have the cash and can find this Tormore, go for it!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 July 2014

The Whiskybase Shop in Rotterdam.

Scottish Leader Review

“I Won’t Follow This Leader” 

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Scottish Leader

Produced by: Ian MacMillan, Master Blender at the Deanston Distillery

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 40 %

Date: 22/07/2014

Colour: Copper

Nose: When I first opened the Miniature and poured me a dram I was not at all impressed with the Scottish Leader's Nose. I'm not quite sure exactly what it was I was smelling but it reminded me of slightly rotten Vegetables, Grass and Plants. Like a Garden Mould. After an hour or so in the glass this smell slowly faded away. I then found Acetone, Refill Oak, young Grain Alcohol and distant hints of Toffee and Citrus. Poor stuff! I bought this miniature in Scotland during my trip in May. Either in Elgin or Bowmore.

Palate: This is not a Crowd Pleaser! I found Young Grain Alcohol, Burnt Sugar, Nut Shells, Caramel, Pepper and distant hints of Nougat, Smoke and Honey.

Finish: Short, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Spicy with Sugar, Grain Alcohol, Toffee, Green Wood and Pepper. 

With added Water the Nose gets a little friendlier and Grain Alcohol and Biscuit arrive in the forefront. But Palate and Finish become a far cry from what I call a tasty Whisky.

Rating: 66.5

Nose: 17 - Taste: 17 - Finish: 16 - Overall: 16.5

General Remarks: The Brand Name Scottish Leader already exists for a long time. Today it's part of Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd, the owners of Deanston, Tobermory, Ledaig, Bunnahabhain and the Black Bottle Blend. The first two form the heart of Scottish Leader, a Blend with 25% Malt - and 75% Grain Whisky (Wheat and Corn). The Scottish Leader contains whiskies that have matured from 3-8 years. It's very popular in Scotland but it's also exported to 60 countries. It's not expensive at an average price of 21 US Dollars.  

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Par

Conclusion: It's sad that large quantities of Malt whisky disappear in these Blends. Maybe something was wrong with my miniature. But as it stands, this was not a pleasant Tasting Experience. Not for me at least. I do realise that many people simply can't afford expensive whiskies but once again I would like to point out that for the same amount of money you are better served with a simple Bourbon. If you like Bourbon of course. Because Scottish Leader will not do as a sipping whisky. At the most, you can use it for mixing I suppose. I will try to get another sample in order to verify my current impressions. But as it is, I can not recommend this Blend.

Jan van den Ende                                                                 July, 2014