Tormore 28 years Old Antique Lions of Spirits The Birds 50.4% 1988

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (85)

Another one from the ‘homage to Moon Import’ series. Colour: gold. Nose: a fruitier, cleaner one this time, with some barley water and some preserved fruit mix, plus a bonbony side. Wine gums, liquorice allsorts, Juicy fruit… It wears its age well, but this is no actress… With water: mead! Love mead in my whisky. Chop-chop, one more point! Mouth (neat): certainly excellent, very clean this time, but also pretty oily as far as both texture and flavours are concerned (sunflower oil). Touches of mangos, green apples, straw wine, grass, apple compote, puréed pears… With water: good greener fruits, rhubarb, kiwis… Finish: medium, rather on sour fruits, apples, lime, honeydew, mead indeed… Comments: I’m starting to wonder whether I didn’t prefer the younger vintages. But this is extremely fine, for sure!

Words of Whisky (87)

Nose: another example of a fairly neutral, slightly silent style. Cooked apples and baked pears, peaches, with some spices and caramelized nuts. Hints of bread and malty notes. Perhaps a little bung cloth, giving it an old-style side again. Do we sense a common theme for the entire series already? Mouth: nicely thick, same feeling of old-style, warm spirit and relatively low cask influence. Stewed apples, oranges, a bit of raisin sweetness and honey, cinnamon and something of cask char. Finish: long, with fruity traces and some oak spices and a hint of walnuts and milk chocolate.
Similar to the Mannochmore in the sense that it combines a fruity / malty body with some old-style elements. I like it.