Dalmore triumvirate
Welcome Everyone! It is April. New month. New reviews. New energy. New stuff. I hope everyone is doing alright. A cold wave hit Hungary this weekend. On Friday it was around 20 celsius outside, however on Sunday it was 0 celsius in the morning. Quite chilly. Make sure you dress accordingly to the weather wherever you are so you do not catch a cold.
Today, as the title would suggest... we are taking a look at three Dalmore bottlings.🏴🥃 I got these samples from my friend Northbright Oakley, the owner & director of dramazin.hu, an excellent whisky reviewer site in hungarian.🇭🇺 I will be using a few of his shots of the bottles in this article. Thank you Mr.Oakley!
Before we go any further, please check out my previous Irish Whiskey reviews of this past Irish Whiskey Month (March)!☘️🇮🇪
FOR THE LAST TIME I would also like to introduce you to my new scoring system. Yes. I reworked my socring system. I thought it was time to get away from the inflated scoring system of Whiskybase.com. I really don't like that anymore. I implemented the 1-10 scale, because it's simple and easily understandable for non-Whiskybase readers too. 5 is average. However there's nothing wrong with an average, well-priced whisky.
⏺10: Dram of a lifetime. Outstanding.
▶️ 9: A very well made, exceptional whisky.
▶️ 8: Something great, something special.
▶️ 7: Very good. Solid.
▶️ 6: Good stuff, above average.
▶️ 5: The average, and no...not in a bad way.
▶️ 4: It's ok. Below average, but it has promise.
▶️ 3: Disappointing. Bad.
▶️ 2: Avoid.
▶️ 1: I wouldn't pay for it nor should it exist.
I will also add my score of the whisky at the beggining of the article. Why? If someone wants to only see the score to get a quick input whether they should buy the bottle or not can do it now without scrolling. I also do not want to force anyone to read the distillery history etc. I am happy if you do, however now the scores will be available at the start of the article. The tasting notes will be where they alaways were. I hope you like the changes! But now, let's get into todays review.
About the distillery
Dalmore distillery, home to one of the most renowned of all Single Malt Whiskies is located in Alness, Scotland, 20 miles (32 km) north of Inverness. It sits on the banks of the Cromarty Firth overlooking the Black Isle, the "big meadowland" from which it takes its name.
The Dalmore distillery is operated by Whyte & Mackay, which Philippines-based Alliance Global owns.
The distillery was established in 1839 by entrepreneur Alexander Matheson and sold to Andrew and Charles Mackenzie the (descendants of Colin of Kintail) in 1867, who introduced the 12-pointed Royal Stag emblem.
It's 1263, there's no social media....no TV no smart phones. Life is good. Not so much if you are King Alexander III while out on a hunt.
The story goes that while the king was hunting, a huge and ferocious stag charged the king. The king was surely done for, he was in the beast's sights and had nowhere to go. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, Colin of Kintail, the then Chief of Clan Mackenzie, killed the stag with a spear.
The king, relieved to not have been killed by the razor-sharp horns on the stag, rewarded the brave Chief and his entire Mackenzie clan with the right to display the 12 pointed silver Royal Stag emblem on their coat of arms and use it as their crest.
Operations ran fairly smoothly at the distillery until 1917 when the British Royal Navy began to use the firth next to the distillery as a site for the production of deep-sea mines. In 1920 much of the distillery was destroyed by an explosion and fire that came as result of a mine denotation incident. The legal battle between Andrew Mackenzie and the Royal Navy lasted over half a decade.
The distillery remained family-owned until 1960, when one of Dalmore's main customers, Whyte & Mackay, took control.
In 1966, the number of stills at the site was increased from four to eight, placing Dalmore in the top 25 distilleries in the world in terms of capacity.
The Dalmore is one of the more famous Single Malts in the world, due to its record-breaking legacy for reaching high auction prices. For a while, it held the record of being the most expensive Whisky ever sold at an auction, with a 62-year old bottle reaching a fetching price of £25,000.
The production
From its founding in 1839 to 1982, the Dalmore used its own maltings and matured the Whisky onsite in the Dalmore's warehouse. Today, the malt comes from local large-scale malting plants, with much of the grain also being grown in the area around the distillery.
The mash tun at Dalmore comprises a full 10.4 tonnes of mash. Sugar and starch are washed out of the malt in three mashing processes.
The eight wooden washbacks are filled with 45,000 litres of mash, to which liquid yeast is added. It usually takes around 45-48 hours until everything is fully fermented, whereas at Dalmore they wait a full 50 hours.
The Dalmore has four wash stills and four spirit stills, each with two differing levels of production capacity. Two of the wash stills have a capacity of 16.500 litres, and the other two have a capacity of 8.250 litres.
The warehouses at the Dalmore are something of a pilgrimage site, holding some of the oldest Whisky stocks in the world. There are nine warehouses on the distillery's site, with four being dunnage and five racked. They use a variety of cask types, although the main is Sherry. In addition, there are very large Bourbon casks or Port pipes, Matusalem casks, there are even many decades-old casks casks stored at Dalmore.
The core range
Their core range currently consist of 7 bottlings.
- The Dalmore 12 - 40%
- The Dalmore 15 - 40%
- The Dalmore 18 - 43%
- The Dalmore 25 - 42%
- The Dalmore King Alexander III - 40%
- The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve - 44%
- The Dalmore Portwood Reserve - 46.5%
Dalmore 18 yo - Natural Color(?), Non-chill filtered(?), 43%
"A magnificent whisky matured in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks and aged Matusalem Oloroso Sherry casks. An exceptional release, with a rich character that epitomises our house style. Nurtured by hand in American white oak ex-Bourbon casks and 30 year old Matusalem Oloroso Sherry casks, some of the rarest casks in the world, exclusively available to the whisky makers of The Dalmore."
Nose: Very full and pleasant. Oldschool sherry, rotting wood. Dark fruits such as prunes, raisins and figs. Chocolate. Spices such as cinnamon and cardamom. A very slight astringent edge. Dust, old books and some tobacco smoke.
Taste: Quite hefty. Very oily and rounded. Dark fruits are leading the assault on your tongue. The 43% abv. is ok-ish, however it would be better if it was a bit higher. Black pepper, rotten-watery wood and some sulfur. Very dusty, very old school-y. Again a hint of tobacco smoke. Very malty. Cask driven. Christmas spices.
Finish: Long. Starts off very sweet with honey and said dark fruits. It gets a bit oaky, bitter and dry by the end. It is ok. However not my favourite part of this dram.
Overall this is an OK whisky. Nothing too crazy. It is doing what it is supposed to do. Please the crowds. This is more of a status whisky than a conoisseur whisky. It has a terrible price/value ration. Way too overpriced. I will award this 7.7/10.
Dalmore SMWS 13.71 10yo Full on flavoured fun - Natural Color, Non-chill filtered, 58.1%
"The Scotch Malt Whisky Society's origins are unconventional, founded by 'Maverick-in-Chief' Pip Hills out of a sense of adventure, an endless discovery of whisky, friendship and fun. We started out in 1983 with a few friends in Edinburgh sharing single cask whisky and experiencing a flavour epiphany. We're a global whisky club with over 42,000 members who cherish the purest whisky flavours and shared experiences. Join us on a journey of endless discovery."
"Aromas just keep flooding in, combined with the taste- a total crowd pleaser! Diluted: balsa and sandalwood ending with rhubarb ginger layer cake."
Nose: Very interesting. Not what I at all expected. At first very light, parfumy. Vanilla, toffee and orchard fruits. A hint of marzipan and brown sugar. Now it takes an interesting turn. Ham and meat smells arise. Quite powerful and alcohol forward. Freshly cut grass. Stings a bit. Very malty and yeast-y. Interesting nose! Hard to take in at first but overtime you will grown to like it.
Taste: Boom. Jeez. Jeez Louise. An explosion of flavours. But first let me tell you, it is very alcholic. Very strong. Extremely hefty and oily. Vanilla, caramel, tropical fruits and a basket of orchard fruits. Cured ham, digestive biscuits, yeast and freshly cut grass. Blue cheese and parmesan. Cracked black pepper, cinnamon and cardamom. Ginger. Chili. Very hot and spicy. Young. Some forest fruits in the background.
Finish: Long and spicy. Leaves your tongue extremely dry. Black pepper, chili, heavy tannins and ginger.
Overall this is not a whisky that I would gladly drink daily. It is a very interesting one for sure, but it is too strong and strange. As a curiosity it is very interesting indeed, worth a try. I award this whisky 7.1/10.
Dalmore Cadenhead's (CA) 24y, 1989 - Natural Color, Non-chill filtered, 46.6%
"Unique never to be tasted again Spirits, all in the comfort of your home.
Hidden away in century old warehouse our whiskies and rums are stored by the cask. We've supplied these spirits to the connoisseur for over 175 years."
Nose: Hmm. Interesting again. Light, parfumy almost floral. A basket of orchard fruits but ripe ones! Golden apple, ripe pear, and juicy apricots. Earthy, mossy and a bit salty at the same time. Liquorice, dusty books and tobacco. Nice balanced oak and vanilla. A hint of Christmas spices such as cinnamon and allspice. Some white grapes alongside some freshly cut grass and cured ham. Lovely balance.
Taste: Quite nice. Oily. Mouth coating and smooth. Not alcoholic. The 46.6% abv. is near perfect for this dram. Golden apples, pears and apricots. Some salty water, earthy notes almost peat notes and some moss. Vanilla, toffee and a hint of pineapple. Tobacco leaves and dusty books. Italian antipasto platter that has parma ham, olives and several cheeses on it. Hay and some yeast. A good amount of oak. Some spices such as allspice and cracked black pepper. It is very smooth, drinkable and very balanced. I enjoy it a lot.
Finish: Quite long and elevated. It starts with floral notes and orchard fruits. Then the earth-y element comes into play alongside the tannins. Tobacco leaves and spices. Ends with some espresso and parmesan alongside some parma ham.
Overall I think this is a splendid whisky. I enjoy it. I would drink it more often, but probably the price is insane...It comes across very fruity and savory at the same time which is lovely. Brings a truly nice old school bourbon cask taste to the masses. I rate this whisky 8.6/10.
Some pictures in this article are not owned by me, I tagged their owner and I attached a link of their site. All other pictures that have my logo on them are TAKEN AND OWNED BY ME.
Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.
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