Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 51.7%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: J & A Mitchell & Co Ltd.
Average price: € 145.00
Official website: www.cadenhead.scot
Vote: 88/100
The celebrated independent bottler Cadenhead’s was first mentioned on this blog in last year’s review: a Glen Scotia 27yo, distilled in 1992 and bottled in the summer of 2019. We refer you to it, then, for any details of Cadenhead’s past and present, and focus on today’s single malt: a Dalmore 18yo which is equally part of the Authentic Collection series, but in the Sherry Cask category.
Dalmore is a distillery of rich, flavourful malts.
Its whiskies are matured for 85% in ex-Bourbon first fill casks, while the rest is aged in ex-Sherry Ploroso and Amontillado ones. All this is then blended in ex-Sherry butt (casks of around 490 litres).
Distilled in 2001 and bottled at 51.7% ABV in July 2019, with no added colouring or chillfiltration, this Dalmore 18yo is a true single cask small batch. That is, it’s a release in a limited number of bottles – 246, to be precise – from a single cask (a 245-litre hogshead).
Tasting notes
The colour is dark gold.
When you approach the nose, you seem to go back a few weeks, with a scent of homemade panettone (sultanas, candied fruit, brioche, sourdough, a touch of vanilla and a touch of icing), truly Christmassy. A hint of rum emerges at times. The alcohol, perfectly integrated, pushes the note of pan brioche. After a few minutes of oxygenation, we are gladly pampered by a nice milk chocolate. An olfactory profile marked by sweetness, in short, but with a balance that we have no hesitation in describing as masterful.
In the mouth, after the sultanas and vanilla, we seem to perceive an aroma of dry grappa. With oxygen, the alcoholic note becomes stronger, but does not unbalance the whole. A hint of wood also emerges over time.
The finish is medium to long and leaves a pleasant impression of foam in the mouth.
A unique whisky, subtly balanced on a truly original predominantly sweet note, whose enjoyment, as never before, depends on one’s preferences.
We liked it, and quite a lot. The only problem is its rather complicated availability.