1.18 - Tormore 24 year Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection & Hazelburn 10 year Single Malt Whisky Springbank Society

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the Tormore 24 year Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection & Hazelburn 10 Single Malt Whisky Springbank Society. If you'd like to support this podcast and get access to the behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits. My tasting notes from this episode can be found below:

Spirit A - Tormore 24 year Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection (45.2% ABV) (Distilled 1992, Bottled 2017, Matured in Hogshead casks 5687 and 5696)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Medium
• Color: Gold
• Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium > pronounced
• Aroma characteristics: Toffee apples, pineapple, ginger ale, ripe bananas, vanilla pod, sultanas, fresh lemon peel, toasted oak
• Other notes: Quite sweet and floral on the nose. Feels like a first fill bourbon cask single malt in the 10 year range
• ABV: 45%-50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, warming, medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: Lemon sorbet, lemon peel, vanilla, underripe bananas, black pepper corn, toasted or dried oak
• Other notes: A little bit of tannins coming through. A bit “quick” but everything I’d expect from the nose came through but nothing else. Predictable & reliable.
• Finish: Short > medium with some complexity (Lemon peel and oak)
• ABV: 45%-50%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good
• Blind guess: First fill bourbon cask, Single malt, ~8 years

Spirit B - Hazelburn 10 Single Malt Whisky Springbank Society (55.9% ABV) (Distilled 2007, Bottled 2018, Matured in refill sauternes hogsheads)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Pale
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

• Condition: Clean 
• Intensity: Medium > pronounced
• Aroma characteristics: Raisins, dates, cherries, sea salt, stone fruits, baked pears, light caramel, vanilla, dried orange peel, charred oak? 
• Other notes: Darker and more dense nose than Spirit A with a whiff of smoke? Feels similar age-wise to Spirit A, but perhaps in a first fill PX cask which gives those dark sweet notes.
• ABV: ~50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Mouth filling, warming, medium viscosity
  Intensity: Pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Fresh pears, raisins, cherries, stone fruits, baked pears, dried orange peel, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, charred oak
• Other notes: Feels like an evolution from the nose, lots of carry-though but also new elements
• Finish: Long and very complex (cherries, fortified wine, oak, pear)
• ABV: 50%-55%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: Single malt, first fill sherry cask, 8-10 years

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople