Dalmore
- OWNER: WHITE & MCKAY/EMPERADOR
- FOUNDED: 1839
- REGION: HIGHLANDS
Dalmore Distillery was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson, whose family had made its fortune through his uncle, Sir James Matheson, a leader of the East India Company and a prime mover behind Britain’s campaign to force China to buy opium. But don’t worry—in 1891, control over the distillery passed to Andrew Mackenzie, an enterprising tenant farmer on the Mathesons’ land. The distillery grew steadily during the twentieth century, with a pause during World War I, when it was used to make mines for the American war effort—in fact, part of the nearby harbor facility is called Yankee Pier. Dalmore began selling single malt (or “self malts”) as early as the 1870s, and it soon developed a name for producing richly sherried whiskies, a reputation it continues to embrace today.
Dalmore
Aged 12 Years
This Dalmore expression is aged for nine years in ex-bourbon barrels, then half of it is transferred to thirty-year-old González Byass matusalem sherry casks for another three years while the remainder stays in the bourbon barrels.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Orange peel, sweet malt, cinnamon, pears, oily ash, and sherry; waters adds a whiff of curry.
- PALATE Intensely smooth, with unsweetened chocolate, coffee, white wine, and a slight bit of pepper; it’s not especially sweet, but the finish lingers with a bit of cinnamon.
- GENERAL The nose is an immediate winner, but the palate takes a bit to open up, like a reluctant flower—give it time, it’ll bloom.
Aged 15 Years
Like the 12, the 15 Year Old is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels nine years, then dumped into sherry barrels, though in this case all of it goes, split evenly among amoroso, apóstoles, and matusalem oloroso barrels.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 15 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Melons, orange peel, perfume, sherry, and chocolate-covered coffee beans; a few drops and it smells like Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream.
- PALATE Rich, but not sweet; it has a solid, malty backbone, with orange zest, raisins, honey, and a touch of ginger toward the end.
- GENERAL Rich and creamy, but still disciplined and slightly austere, like a portly ex-Marine.
Dalmore
Cigar Malt Reserve
Designed to complement a cigar—specifically, a Partagás Serie D, Numbers 2 and 4. It’s aged in a combination of 70-percent matusalem oloroso sherry butts, 20-percent ex-bourbon barrels, and 10-percent premier cru cabernet sauvignon wine casks.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 44%
- NOSE Rich, sherried malt, with sweet pipe tobacco, shortbread, and a whiff of cinnamon; vanilla and juniper come forward with water.
- PALATE Toffee, wood notes, glazed bananas, fruitcake, cinnamon dusted on honeycomb, and sherried orange peel, with a dry finish.
- GENERAL One of those “I could nose this all day” whiskies. The palate is woody but not bitter. It’s simply a fantastic whisky, with or without a cigar.
Aged 18 Years
Continuing the Dalmore house style, this is aged for fourteen years in ex-bourbon barrels, then transferred for four years to matusalem oloroso sherry butts from González Byass.
- PRICE $$$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 43%
- NOSE Sherry, maple, orange zest, leather, chocolate-covered raisins, dry ash, pear; water brings out a nutty, peppery brine note.
- PALATE Stewed cherries, lemon peel, baker’s chocolate, almonds, raisins, and dry gin, with a long, medium-dry finish.
- GENERAL A bit sweeter than the younger expressions, and significantly more complex.
Dalmore
King Alexander III
A complex whisky aged in a sextet of bourbon, port, Marsala, oloroso sherry, Madeira, and cabernet sauvignon casks. It’s named in honor of Scotland’s King Alexander III, who was saved from a charging stag by Colin of Kintail, of Clan Mackenzie, whose descendants (much) later took ownership of the Dalmore distillery.
- PRICE $$$$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Genuine Dalmore, but so much more: orange zest, cranberry sauce, raisin bread toast, vanilla bean, sherry, and light toffee. Leave the water aside.
- PALATE A bit of smoke that opens into spiced fruit, plum jam, raisins, port, almond biscotti, and, toward the middle, black pepper, with a creamy, medium mouthfeel; the finish is long, peppery, and a bit tannic.
- GENERAL Simply astounding—a perfect balance of robust and nuanced notes, with a finish that echoes for hours.