Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Emperador Inc. (Whyte & Mackay Ltd.)
Average price: € 350.00
Official website: www.thedalmore.com
It’s been a few years since I’ve had a Dalmore in my glass, and to mark the distillery’s return to these pages, I’ve chosen a bottle that’s not exactly negligible, at least in terms of price.
Part of the Principal Collection (an unusual name for the core range), it was first matured in ex-Bourbon casks and then transferred to ex-Matusalem sherry casks (a mixture of Oloroso and PX), where Gonzalez Byass’s fortified wine has been kept for thirty years.
Tasting Notes
The nose is dense and rough, with nutmeg enveloping ripe fruit (cherries, plums, dates) and marmalade (orange, strawberry), with a hint of panettone with candied fruit and sultanas. A base of cocoa, sweet coffee, toffee and trifle with a dusting of wood shavings. Caramel becomes more pronounced along the length. An intense and balanced sherry.
On the palate, all the intensity is lost, giving way to the spicy components (black pepper, ginger, a hint of cumin) and the acidity of the dark red fruits. Strawberries and cherries are more evident, with blood orange on the proscenium, while the thicker part of the jam disappears to reveal tobacco and almonds. Chocolate and coffee are always in the background (but less pronounced) and wood lingers.
A rather fleeting finish of spices, red fruits, chocolate and wood.
The opulence promised on the nose is completely lost in the drink, lacking the body to support the flavours, lost and taking refuge in the flatness of a whisky that could give much, much more.
Vote: 82/100