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Tormore
unveils new Core Range as Elixir
Distillers begins a new era for the
Speyside Distillery.
Speyside's
Tormore Distillery is stepping into a
new phase of its history with the launch
of a new permanent core range, marking
the most significant evolution of the
brand since the distillery first opened
its doors in the late 1950s.
Now owned by Elixir Distillers, Tormore
has introduced three new expressions
today 15 June 2026: Tormore Timeless,
Tormore 12 Year Old and Tormore 16 Year
Old Sherry Cask. The collection is
designed to showcase the distillery's
distinctive fruity and elegant house
style while establishing Tormore as a
single malt destination in its own
right.
The new whiskies will be available
exclusively through The Whisky Exchange
from today, before rolling out to
other specialist retailers across the UK from
29 June.
Bringing Tormore into the Spotlight
For much of its existence, Tormore has
been one of Scotch whisky's hidden gems.
Situated beneath the Cromdale Hills in
Speyside, the distillery produced spirit
that largely disappeared into major
blended Scotch brands, including
Ballantine's, Passport and Chivas Regal.
Although single malt bottlings
occasionally appeared over the years,
the distillery never enjoyed the same
prominence as many of its Speyside
neighbours. A previous 12 Year Old
expression released under former owner
Pernod Ricard gained only limited
recognition as it was a underwhelming
over caramelled whisky and has since
been discontinued. The newly launched
Tormore 12 Year Old is an entirely new
whisky, developed as part of Elixir
Distillers' long-term vision for the
brand, I haven't had the chance to taste
it yet but surely it must be a
considerable improvement over the 12
Year Old released under Pernod Ricard.
The launch follows Elixir Distillers'
acquisition of Tormore from Pernod
Ricard in 2022. Since then, the company
has focused on understanding and
refining the distillery's maturing
inventory, with an emphasis on
highlighting the character that has
defined Tormore since production began
more than six decades ago.
A Distillery Built with Ambition
Tormore occupies a unique place in
Scotch whisky history. Commissioned by
Long John Distillers in the 1950s and
completed in 1959, it was the first
purpose-built distillery constructed in
Speyside in the twentieth century.
Designed by celebrated architect Sir
Albert Richardson, the site was
conceived as more than simply a
production facility. The vision
incorporated workers' cottages, a
village hall, landscaped gardens, a
musical clock tower and even a curling
pond, creating a self-contained
community centred around whisky
production.
Its striking architecture remains among
the most distinctive in the Scotch
whisky industry and reflects the
optimism of the post-war whisky boom
that inspired its construction.
The distillery expanded from four stills
to eight in the early 1970s as demand
increased, but ownership changes over
subsequent decades meant that Tormore's
spirit was increasingly directed towards
blends rather than single malt releases.
A Focus on Single Malt
Under Elixir Distillers, Tormore is
being repositioned around its original
ambition: producing exceptional single
malt Scotch whisky.
Distillery Manager Polly Logan, Head
Blender Oliver Chilton and Elixir
Distillers co-owner Sukhinder Singh have
spent the past several years examining
the distillery's ageing stocks and
exploring how different cask types can
enhance Tormore's naturally refined
character. Part of that process has
involved re-racking selected parcels
into fresh Bourbon barrels and a range
of Sherry casks to build greater
complexity and depth.
The company has also reinstated on-site
cask filling, reversing a practice
introduced under previous ownership when
new make spirit was transported away
from the distillery for maturation.
The new core range follows a series of
limited releases introduced over recent
years, which served as an early
indication of the potential Elixir
Distillers saw within Tormore's
warehouses.
The New Core Range:
Tormore Timeless
Bottled at 43% ABV, Tormore Timeless is
a non-age-statement expression matured
primarily in ex-Bourbon casks. The
whisky is said to highlight the lighter side of
the distillery's character, with notes
of vanilla, citrus zest, honeysuckle,
sweet baking spice and peach tea.
Tormore 12 Year Old
The flagship age-statement release is
bottled at 46% ABV and matured in a
combination of ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and
toasted American white oak casks. The
resulting whisky is said to offer layers of
orchard fruit, vanilla-rich sweetness
and gentle spice, with tasting notes
including peach cobbler, poached pears,
toasted almonds, coconut and creamy
vanilla fudge.
Tormore 16 Year Old Sherry Cask
Also bottled at 46% ABV, the oldest
expression in the range is matured in
refill American and European oak Sherry
casks. Described as richer and more decadent in
style, it is said to present flavours of sticky
dates, Demerara fudge, buttered brioche,
roasted nuts, lemon oil and dark fruit
sweetness.
A Landmark Release
The introduction of a permanent range
represents a pivotal moment for one of
Speyside's most architecturally
significant yet historically
underappreciated distilleries.
Having spent decades contributing to
some of the world's most recognised
blended Scotch whiskies, Tormore is
finally being given the platform to
showcase its own identity. For Elixir
Distillers, the new collection is more
than a product launch; it is the first
chapter in a long-term effort to
establish Tormore among the leading
names in single malt Scotch whisky.
With a renewed focus on maturation, cask
management and distillery-led character,
the launch signals the beginning of a
new era for a distillery whose original
vision is only now being fully realised.
You will find the current
Tormore whisky range available from specialist online whisky
shops such as
The Whisky Exchange
and
Master of Malt
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