Tormore 1995 Premium Octave - 51.4% - Duncan Taylor

 

From the Spirits Embassy website  

Tormore 1995 23 year old is one of the first eight releases in this stunning range. These premium Octave™ whiskies have been held in sherry casks to intensify their flavours and add a new dimension to their flavour profiles, bringing out the very best in each rare dram. 

Bottled at cask strength there were 87 bottles created of this stunningly presented whisky. Octave™ casks are approximately 1/8th the size of a butt and each one creates around 80 to 100 bottles. 

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: Honey gold, forms a thin line which beads before gradually falling as slow, thin legs.

Nose: Light, clean and fresh, slightly grassy at first. With time in the glass darker berries and damp leaves.

Palate: Dried fruits, orange peel, honey, slightly herbal and peppery. Water brings out more of the sherry character with figs, Dundee cake and reduces the spice.

Finish: More honey, citrus, a little oak, a little salt, slightly drying with peppery spice.

Summary: An interesting dram, subtly complex and needs time to open up. Once there, it’s a whisky to really spend time on. A few drops of water opens it up a little further but the overall feeling is that it was a better whisky taken neat.

Overall, it’s a well balanced whisky with a lot of positive attributes. Part of the Premium Octave range, with a corresponding price of £285. Well outside my price range but I’m glad I tried it, and it goes to show the great value of these tasting sets.

If you would like to know more about Duncan Taylor and their whiskies, follow the link to the company website.

Transparency: This sample was part of a 5 dram tasting pack, purchased from The Spirits Embassy and used for a tasting session. No goods or other incentives were exchanged, offered or requested for this independent review.