21/10/2025 Tormore at the SMWS

We are back again for this evening during which Sukhinder Singh will promote his distillery.

Not all of the regulars are here, but, of course, JS, PS, GT and Dr. CD are.

Tormore 10yo (48%, OB Blueprint Cask Program Official Pre-Release, Bourbon Barrels, 1500b)

Nose: well, this is pretty herbaceous, with dried rosemary and lots of citrus foliage (bergamot, kumquat, Ugli fruit). But it also has a distinct sweetness: lemon drops and crystallised citrus segments. Lovely. The second nose welcomes toffee and fudge.
Mouth: crisp and citrus-y, it has a growing metallic-herbaceous touch. We find more dried rosemary, but also dried thyme, now -- lemon thyme, in fact. The second sip is fairly neutral. Lemon juice, maybe?
Finish: yes, it is light, crisp, citrus-y, zesty, even, with only a light bitterness.  Some foliage, dried orange peels and pith turning stiff. The second gulp has more kick and more Bourbon character: custard and light toffee. Water renders the finish a little too close to windscreen-cleaning liquid. 7/10

Tormore 10yo (48%, OB Blueprint Cask Program Official Pre-Release, Cream Sherry Casks, 1500b)

Nose: entirely different. Here are cosmetic powder and cinnamon buns. Another sniff and it has chocolate truffles and a strange, lingering, woman's perfume, earthy, fragrant, vibrant, while also light. The second nose has a hint of chalk. Water adds nutshells to the lot.
Mouth: creamy, light. This is chocolate custard with a splash of fruity red wine. It has some wood spices (cinnamon powder, crushed cardamom), and berries (dark cherries). The second sip is full-on berry cereals with chocolate milk. Water brings out nutshells more on the palate too.
Finish: warming, it is custard-y with berries and tame wood spices. There is a lingering chocolate-y note, enhanced with a drop of red wine again. A drop of water adds a bitterer lick, including gherkin brine. 7/10

JS [to PS]: "Wait! Is that a second phone you have?"
PS: "Yes."
JS: "A mistress phone!"
PS [pointing at tOMoH]: "For the last time, I'm not his mistress."

Tormore 15yo 2009/2025 (55.2%, OB Legacy Casks Official Pre-Release, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#44036, 197b)

Nose: much ampler, of course, it has blotting paper stained with berry juice. A couple of sniffs in, it becomes very fruity, with a mix of cherries, red apples and glossy chestnuts (the husk is glossy, not the fruit).
Mouth: juicy, it rolls out peach, nectarine, then cured peach and mulled wine. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, galangal. The second sip has plum liqueur (not umeshu), and chocolate milk augmented with pressed plums and an assertive alcohol kick.
Finish: big, long, woody in a good way. Hot almonds, cinnamon cream. The second gulp is creamy and berry-laden, with a touch of cinnamon dough (cinnabuns waiting to be baked). Water does not suit it. It makes the finish sharper. 8/10

PS: "The kind of wood I like."
tOMoH: "Imma treat your wood with nettles!"
PS: "If I don't see that on your blog, I'll be disappointed."

Tormore 21yo 2003/2025 (48.4%, OB Legacy Casks Official Pre-Release, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#647, 226b)

Nose: this is the closest to our first dram's nose. Verbena, thyme, citrus and citrus foliage. Later, it is cosmetic powder on oilcloth. And oilcloth becomes the distinguishing feature.
Mouth: oh! wow. This is so citric. Tangerine, kumquat, mandarines. It has an acidic touch, some bitterness and a kick of tropical fruit, after a moment. Later yet, it is jammy AF. Total marmalade goodness.
Finish: long, it has a mix of chocolate, dark citrus and faint tropical fruit. It is both creamy and warm, though it does peddle bitterness at the death. This is my favourite of the lot. 8/10

Sukhinder tells the room how cream Sherry is a blend of Oloroso and PX.

JS: "I don't think I can appreciate cream Sherry, really, until I've tried is as a gelato flavour."

Sukhinder talks about Portintruan.

GT: "Is it true that you put a still there to make some rum?"
SS: "Shush!"
tOMoH: "I guess that's a no, then. Wink-wink."

105.44 35yo d.1988 Honey jam (48.1%, SMWS The Vaults Collection, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 218b)

Nose: elegance personified. Jellied peaches and apricot jam.
Mouth: jammy, it has a lick of metal, as well as wood, in the long run.
Finish: long, warming, jammy again. Orange marmalade, including the tin lid of the jar.
Comment: brief notes. To paraphrase my not-favourite person, we have had this thrice over the past couple of months. It is the best dram of the line-up, but it is also déjà-vu and it impresses me less, tonight. 8/10

Sukhinder introduces his team.

Jason Vaswani: "I'm head-buyer for old & rare."
Punter: "I think I saw you at The Whisky Show."
tOMoH: "I think you'll find it's Whisky Show, without definite article."

Sukhinder almost chokes to death trying to repress a laugh with a mouth full of whisky.

There is more? Of course! Elixir Distillers, proprietary of Tormore, also have a variety of collections as an independent bottler. Sukhinder brought entries from The Whisky Trail range. We try these blind.

Dram #6

Nose: earthy, it soon comes across as smoky, sandy and a little sweet. It could be Caol Ila, though I do not think so. The second nose brings ironed linen.
Mouth: JS calls it funky and detects body odour. For me, it has sweet hay juice and it builds up red chilli in the long run. The tip of the tongue is really assaulted.
Finish: earthy toffee, sticky toffee pudding. The second quaff has a gentle sweetness and a milky feel.
Comment: we are asked to guess. Some go for Australia, some say Kavalan. I venture The Lakes -- "Don't be silly," the answer fuses. This is okay.

White Peak 7yo 2018/2025 (52.4%, Elixir Distillers The Whisky Trail, 4 x New Bourbon Barrels, 1254b) 7/10

Dram #7

Nose: this smells like a rye-and-a-half. Corn syrup, ripe apples, perhaps candied apples, and blue cioccolato colorato. There is also a lot of warm plastic at play, and Irn Bru -- it is a rye, is it not? In the long run, it becomes water infused with wood oil.
Mouth: wood oil is right! This is very woody and oily indeed, with all the heady esters that come with that.
Finish: hot Irn Bru, sweet corn syrup, and a lick of a hot radiator.
Comment: merely a curiosity for this taster. Many guesses (including my own Inchdairnie), none right. Upon reveal, I note that I have never even heard of this Danish distillery.

Thy 4yo 2020/2025 (50.5%, Elixir Distillers The Whisky Trail, 4 x New American Oal Quarter Casks, 645b) 6/10

The staff brings us another dram, courtesy of Dr. CD.

70.62 10yo d.2013 Honey and dragon fruit sangria (60.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 204b)

Nose: plasticine, then rubbery earth or clay.
Mouth: this is totally plasticine, plastic-y, reminiscent of oilcloth.
Finish: long and fruity to a point that is tickling vulgarity.
Comment: it does the trick, but I am properly toasted, now. So much so I do not even realise we had this for Burns' Night. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, Dr. CD)

Good night out. Too much to drink, though, as usual.

06/05/2025 Industry Giants: Sukhinder Singh at the SWMS

Here we are again, for a tasting led by The Whisky Exchange's founder. With me are PS, DW, GT, YM, JMcC, JS and many others I do not know.

SS: "I became a member of the SMWS in 1989 (or 1990?) I loved it. This was heaven. I have amassed a huuuuuge collection of SMWS bottling, including most of the .1 [releases]. I think I am missing maybe twenty. By the way, if you can help me find them..."

Dram #1

Nose: lights, fresh, it has a whiff of pine-scented paste, not far from Gocce Pino, if less intense. There is also a fruity custard in there, or fruity yoghurt, and a dusting of confectionary sugar. Lemon-scented hand soap grows in intensity, soon followed by ripe-citrus segments covered in dust. Mouth: it is warm and pine-y, and it has a good dose of boozy cereals. That, in turn, is augmented with dried apple slices. The second sip is fruitier with little of the grassy-metallic profile I associate with the distillery (we have been told, by now). Finish: we are told the ABV, but, if the number is modest, this kicks booteille. It has ether and a vaguely medicinal note, closer to surgical alcohol than gauze or tincture of iodine. Perhaps we find dry Bourbon-cask staves, which is to say white-wood shavings, and a whiff of blond-tobacco smoke via retro-nasal olfaction.

Glencadam 11yo 2011/2022 Parcel No.10 (48%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks) 7/10

Dram #2

Nose: ooft! This smells creamy. Caramel-flavoured whipped cream, melted chocolate, an emulsion of sorts, and crumbs from a crushed pine cone. It turns more pine-y with each sniff, then adds crystallised tangerine segments. We spot dried mushrooms and nuts upon second nosing. Mouth: extremely fruity, here, it has maracuja, mango -- phwoar! It dabbles with spices too, and the second sip comes with a pinch of chopped green chilli. Mostly, it keeps shouting cut maracuja and runny persimmon and peach, however. Finish: an explosion of tropical fruits in the finish. It kicks like a young'un, but mostly, it is wave after wave of tropical goodness. In the long run, those fruits are presented in a plastic container, which is an original take. Wow.

Tormore 23yo 1999/2023 (54.5%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Barrel, C#5173, 197b) 9/10

YM [about the Tormore]: "It is the poor man's 117.3."

Dram #3

Nose: are the drams related, or do I have a one-track nose? (I have a nasty cold, so do not answer). This one is drier, with cocoa-bean shavings and tree bark, yet also a touch of pine scents, just like its predecessors. It turns woodier with time, and something else happens: Dextro Energy tablets emerge, fruity and chalky. Strangely, adding water increases that chalky impression, and adds a whisper of soft-boiled eggs. Mouth: a little syrupy and chocolate-y. In truth, it is a cascade of melted chocolate. Rich, coating without being cloying, it has oily nuts too. The second sip is dripping with chocolate. Water does not change it dramatically -- perhaps it gains even more chocolate, in a sauce form, now, then as a coulis, which is less thick -- at least in my mind. Finish: more chocolate coulis, melted chocolate ice cream, chocolate spread on plain crackers... Oh yeah! The ABV is quite impossible to guess. Good integration. Sukhinder declares it very fruity. I heroically guess the distillery (with a subtle hint).

71.106 11yo d.2012 Bellinis and bouquets (60.6%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 242b) 8/10

PJ: "We will have a short recession before the second half."
Punter: "Recession?"
PS: "Thank you, Donald Trump!"

Dram #4

Nose: this is flowery as a scented shampoo, yet it does not have the soapy bitterness that usually comes along. Forsythia and kerria, both kept in a plastic vase. Indeed, there is a lot of plastic action, as well as hot beverages. It also has a lick of fruit-tree wood. Mouth: waxy, polished. Here are physalis, greengages and Mirabelle plums, none too ripe, and even a drop of lemon juice, given time. Much later on, we have sawdust mixed with dried citrus zest. Finish: pepper and marmalade, squashed yellow fruit not quite ripe. It is long, loud, fruity, with a shy-but-clear bitterness. It lacks personality for my liking, perhaps. Later on, we find a fruity heat that is quite staggering.

Linkwood 14yo 2008/2022 (53.2%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#804632, 153b) 8/10

SS: "Here is a clue: it is a Diageo distillery."
punter: "Does it have a visitor centre?"

Dram #5

Nose: expensive leather, faded suede, game bags, rancio, perhaps roast beef, and a whiff of soft smoke. Repeated nosing brings shards of glass, a woodworm-eaten wardrobe and ground wood spices (cinnamon and dried ginger, naturally). It then turns towards drinks cabinets, before welcoming touches of lychee, much later on. Mouth: wow! It is a lot smokier on the palate, with a whisp of mint and crushed pine cones. The mint morphs into a minty paste, fresh and lively. Oh! and this burns too, to be sure. Finish: big, it has a spoonful of honey, the smoke of a dried-herb fire, and a certain fruitiness -- roasted apples and quinces. The smoke persists, yet it is but a component, at this stage.

4.387 14yo d.2009 Sweet smoky dreams (62.4%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogsheads + 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel Finish, 228b) 8/10

Dram #6

Nose: ah! It is a rum. Full of glue, the kind that works less well for me. Despite trying really hard, I struggle to find anything past that glue. Melted plastic tubes and oilskins -- heaps of oilskins. Mouth: oilskins to the brim, with a fistful of dried pineapple cubes thrown in for shits and giggles. It becomes drier and more drying in subsequent sips, sucking moisture from the gob like hot shrink wrap. Finish: more plastic, its bitterness somewhat balanced by caramelised sugar and darkened burnt apple tart, until that turns into torched molasses. This really does not do it for me.

Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve b.2023 (54.5%, Elixir Distillers) 5/10

Sukhinder is very excited by that rum. He explains how old sailors contacted him in waves (see what I did?) to sell him their Navy rum (the one they received a ration of when on a ship), how that was the best rum he had ever tasted, and how Black Tot is the brand under which he sold that Navy rum. The current batches aim to replicate the profile, since the original stock is depleted or close enough, and rotate between the production of various countries (Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Granada). It is an excellent story; I simply do not enjoy the rum very much. Others do, much to my relief. I will not have to force it down.

GT: "The ration was a quart a day..."
tOMoH: "Which quantity did you say?"
GT: "A quart a day."
tOMoH: "You're telling me the sailors were given a litre [of rum] a day!?"
GT: "And a gallon of beer."
PS: "Two pints a day. We conquered the world with it. We just don't remember how."

The tasting ends. Some people leave, some stay for a chat. At some point, I need the loo. PS exits as I head in.

tOMoH: "Fuck you!"
PS: "Later. The invoice will be enormous."
tOMoH: "Unlike your dick."

(Yes, it is late.)

We talk about concerts. Kiss, Queen and others.

YM: "I wasn't cool enough, back then, to go to those shows."
PS: "Back then?"
tOMoH: "Hate to burst your bubble, but..."

On the way out, we spot MJ and IR downstairs, which prompts warm greetings, and delays the walk home. Fortunately, I know better than to share another dram with them. ZzzZzz. :-)

30/09/2018 Whisky Show 2018 (Day 2 -- Part 2) Six Whiskies of the Decade

Oliver Chilton (OC) and Sukhinder Singh (SSS) co-present this masterclass. The theme is simple: it is the Show's tenth anniversary; the sponsor (SSS) and the organiser-come-bottler (OC) chose their favourite whiskies bottled exclusively for The Whisky Show over the past ten years.

This is what they look like

Chilton opens the proceedings by underlining all the whiskies today, "were found in boxes marked: 'SSS drink'. So, you're basically drinking Sukhinder's stock." Ha!

Lochside 46yo d.1964 (42.1%, TWE, C#8970, 139b): need I say more? This is one of my favourite whiskies ever. I am a bit sceptical regarding its position in the line-up, but am delighted to try it again. I monitor Cavalier66 from the corner of my eye: he has never had it. Naturally, his reaction is positive. Nose: exuberantly fruity, with a touch of dignified wood. Yellow passion fruit, says cavalier. It has had an hour or so to breathe and it is a delight. Mouth: dunnage warehouse, magnificent. Finish: perfection in a glass. That drop of tropical fruit in the finish just slays you every time. 10/10

Sukhinder explains that the paperwork promised a single malt, but he was puzzled when he tried the first sample. Scratching the paint on the cask, they found out it was in fact a single blend. Only Lochside and Ben Nevis did this, blending malt and grain produced at the same plant before putting it into casks. The result after a long ageing period is something that is more than the sum of its parts, as illustrated on 31/12/2014 and 29/10/2017, amongst others.

SSS: "Only three of those were released, I think, and I believe this was the first."
tOMoH: "Four, and Scott's predates yours by a little [five years, in fact]. Though in fairness, yours is better."

Everyone needs a smartarse. The room is full of them, today.

Emerald Isle 24yo d.1991 (52.6%, Speciality Drinks, C#8507): we had this one for St Patrick's day, this year. It was lovely, but because of that, I cannot say it is the one that excites me most, today. Nose: mango and guava, exuberant, but also less elegant than the fruit in the Lochside, really. Satsuma, tangerine and cantaloupe melon. Mouth: extraordinary balance, with a pinch of white pepper, sawdust, and lot of fruit. Finish: a fruity explosion, tropical, lush, with mango, guaa, persimmon and also rhubarb. Despite the nose being more vulgar than the Lochside's, it is still worth top score. 10/10

Sukhinder explains they very often add water to the whisky before bottling, so as to obtain the optimal ABV. Sometimes even in the cask.

Springbank 24yo b.2017 (51.7%, Elixir Distillers Art of Whisky, 191b): nose: sooty as an old chimney, old stoves, coal buckets. This is Victorian working class personified. Mouth: unexpectedly full of fruits. Fruit with a pinch of soot, coal dust and white pepper. Finish: warming, very long, never-ending and distinctly elegant. That mix of fruit and coal/soot is terribly efficient. 9/10

OC: "I'm not a chemist. I have a degree in philosophy. It drives you to drink, but it doesn't help."

SSS (upon meeting Chivas Bros representatives in Whisky Live Tokyo): "You're so lucky. You have the best distillery in the world."
Reps: "Yeah, Glenlivet."
SSS: "!?!?!? No."
Reps: "Glen Grant? Scapa? Lochside? Aberlour? Not Caperdonich?"
SSS: "Longmorn!"

The following time they met, the representatives told him he was right, that the staff now was raving about Longmorn and that they would do more with it soon. Ten years have passed and not much has happened, SSS says.

Longmorn 31yo 1978/2010 (58%, Speciality Drinks Masterpieces, Bourbon Cask, 135b): this is probably the one I am most excited to finally try. It was bottled the year before I started coming to this festival. Nose: a hint of liquorice and lots of berries. It also has a buttery touch to it; I first think of avocado, but it is in fact mango. Mango, papaya, blueberry, baked banana and tender wood. Mouth: acidic passion fruit, green grapefruit (Sukhinder says pink, but he is clearly wrong), mandarin and the bite of pepper. This is a heartwarming palate, truth be told. Finish: pink grapefruit, mixed peel, orange drops. Superb balance, with lots of fruit, good alcohol level and a whisper of Virginia tobacco. Wow. 9/10

SSS: "It was wonderful. Peachy, peachy, peachy."
tOMoH: "Ya, ya, ya-ya"

Clynelish 18yo b.2014 (50.6%, The Whisky Exchange): nose: leather, jute sacks, sulphur. This one is dirty and farm-y, with tractor tyres and saddles. The jute/hessian and sulphur grow more intense, which I am not very happy about. Mouth: hot, it has candle wax, spent matchsticks, boiled daffodils and burnt wick. Finish: big, dirty, sooty, with spent wick. Later, the waxy character comes back stronger, with furniture polish. All in all, though, this is my least favourite of the set by a comfortable margin. 7/10

Sukhinder tells the audience that Port Ellen is not his favourite distillery. He started collecting it, because it was closed and he thought there was therefore a remote chance to own all the bottlings. That was of course before the hype made their prices so unreasonable.

SSS: "Some names no-one talks about. You can't buy Ardbeg, but Glenburgie is cheap and it's nice."

I do not have the heart to tell SSS that Glenburgie is cheap because no-one talks about it.

Port Ellen 27yo 1983/2010 (51.3%, The Whisky Exchange for The Whisky Show 2010, Sherry Cask, 60b): nose: tar, petrol, diesel, even, a cockle shed on the pier, a fishing boat in the harbour. Mouth: similar notes, really; sea water, diesel, fishing nets, seafood. Finish: petrolic and salty, with the sweetness that the Dovr-Tvtes-Mares also had. 1983 is clearly my favourite vintage for Port Ellen. It is lovely. I preferred some of the earlier drams in this class, though. 9/10

A lady in the audience asks: "Would you drink a good whisky for the rest of your life, or several less good whiskies?"
SSS: "Hard question. Probably a good one."
Lady: "Which one?"
SSS: "I don't know. There are so many."
Guy in the audience: "You would probably choose a 1964 Bowmore."
SSS: "Five days a week. Not seven."

Talking about the price of similar bottlings:
SSS: "One is £100, another is £150..."
Cavalier66: "The exchange rate, isn't it?"
tOMoH: "The Whisky Exchange rate!"

Time to clap and leave. It is great to see OC more relaxed than he has been (I suppose ten years of Show make one so). I tell the MCs their openness about water addition should lead to their using Chilton-filtration, which makes OC giggle. There will be another masterclass here shortly. As for us, we go for food.