Review #816 - SMWS 105.53 'Sweeties at the Bazaar' - Tormore 10 Year
In April of 2026, we had the opportunity to attend the monthly outturn tasting for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's USA chapter in Indianapolis, Indiana. These sessions generally consist of the blind tasting of 6 different whiskies which will be released in the given month, and the bottles are revealed after discussion of tasting notes and distillery guesses have been made. This April 2026 tasting had a sherry cask theme - all of the whiskies involved were either matured or finished in Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez sherry. This is 1 of 6 reviews from this month's outturn.
Tormore is a distillery that is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. It was sold by Pernod Ricard in 2022 to new owners Elixir Distillers; previously, the vast majority of the distillate was used for blends, but there will be a bit more of a single malt focus going forward. It's unpeated whisky, one that often displays a lighter style with a nice combination of sweet and spicy notes.
This specific single cask of whisky started in a typical ex-bourbon hogshead, a treatment that most of the Society casks receive; it only spent 4 years in that cask, though, and was then moved for the final 6-ish years into a first fill PX sherry cask. After the total of 10 years of aging, this was bottled at a strength of 63.6% ABV in the Society's 'Spicy & Sweet' flavor profile.
SMWS 105.53 'Sweeties at the Bazaar' - Tormore 10 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 110 (2026)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 63.6% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon hogshead, finished in a first fill Pedro Ximenez sherry hogshead
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled September 10, 2014; 203 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed blind 1 time. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Quite sweet, with lots of vanilla and some older oak notes. Hints of tobacco are juxtaposed by cotton candy or powdered sugar, and we get some fruity scents as well, especially orange.
Palate: Tangy fruits of nectarine, grapefruit, and strawberry, even a bit of mango. Vanilla and oak notes arrive again, and we get a bit of a toasted oak vibe as well.
Finish: Tannins from the oak build into the finish; clementine oranges, vanilla, and shortbread add more sweetness, but there's also a spice from tobacco in the aftertaste.
Final Note: Another good bottle from this outturn, and one that continued the theme of subtle sherry aging for us. There are some fruit notes, especially orange or a bit of stone fruit, but we found that this whisky leaned into the sugary oak notes. Cotton candy or spun sugar, confectioner's sugar, and just a bit of an old oak influence - nice tobacco notes here and there.
Value here is above average, which is rare for us to say about a SMWS bottle due to the Society's generally high pricing. Not every one of these 'lower end' options (in terms of price) of their range is a winner, but when they are good, they're worth picking up.
Our Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.26
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Tormore reviews:
Review #713 - Single Malts of Scotland Tormore 8 Year Single Cask - Storied Company Selection
