The last Society Tormore was a venerable 25 year old – this one comes in at the other end of the maturity scale – 7 years in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. View on SMWS
Nose: The sweet-toothed amongst you will enjoy the combination of fruit pastilles, ground sugars, meringue and iced gem biscuits. Milky Bars and Chantilly cream provide yet more 5th birthday party goody-bag niceties. Dilution doesn’t move things too far away – rich tea biscuits and hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and dusting of cocoa powder.
Taste: Rather more ‘adult’ – digestive biscuits, crème patisserie and lemon curd, heartily pepped up with chilli peppers and a flavour almost to the point of smoked paprika. Cough syrup and menthol follow in support – still sweet, but all much more spicy than the candyshop nose. Reduction works well here – a better balance of sugars and spices with sponge cake, tart cases, pepper and cinnamon.
Finish: Medium in length with a pleasant progressive fade, biscuits, and mentholated oak.
This Tormore belies its youth – there’s plenty of depth and nuance here, and barring some intense spiciness, the wood is far from prevalent for a 1st fill. One of this month’s cheaper bottles and as such, worth looking at.