Dalmore 12 year old Sherry Cask Select - Chill filtered, Colored, 43%

Dalmore….usually 40%, chill filtered and colored. Oh...and it's expensive. But we get a beautiful bottle, which I think is one of the most beautiful out there. Huge stag figure, small label, not the usual bottle shape. By the way, I like Dalmore. Pleasantly soft, doesn't overthink things, delivers what is expected of it.

The stag has a story. We go back in time to 1263, when the life of King Alexander III. was saved by Colin Cam Mackenzie the chief of Clan Mackenzie from a stag. The Mackenzie clan has been using the stag as an emblem since then, and the history of the distillery goes back until this time. But where is the connection between the distillery and the Mackenzie clan? In 1867, 28 years after the founding of the distillery, the descendants of the Mackenzie clan took over the management of the distillery and since then the stag has been used on every Dalmore bottle.

It smells fresh but also a bit musty. Apple, pear and sherry. Blood orange, dates and cocoa. It tastes like what we expect. Honeyed, smooth. Fruity, malty, dark chocolate. The aftertaste is medium, sweet, with a bit of dark chocolate and woody astringency at the end.

Macallan A Night On Earth The Journey - Chill filtered, Natural Color, 43%

The other prestige distillery after Dalmore. But what can I say? I love them. The best whisky I ever tasted was the Macallan 30. I would mention that they are at the top of the podium with Glengoyne 30. (96/100)

The Night On Earth series is an annual limited edition bottling, for which an artist usually creates a design for the box and bottle. Obviously, because of Macallan and the artist's work, you have to pay a premium for them. The bottle shown in the picture costed me approx 113 EUR. A bit overpriced. But what can you do.

It smells nice. It's not really "macallanish". Not much sherry in it. Rather, the bourbon cask dominates. Citrus fruits, coconut, vanilla, caramel and ginger. A little sherry in the background. Nice, not the usual. A little youthfulness comes out in the taste. Then the flavors come out nicely. Apple pie, vanilla sauce, citrus fruits. Ginger and coconut. The aftertaste is medium, black pepper and dark chocolate, with a hint of woody astringency. (3-4th fill barrels?) Overall not bad. Worth a try. The asking price of 113 EUR is a bit overpriced. This should be priced around 60 EUR in my honest opinion. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.