Highland

Dalmore MacKenzie

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Dalmore MacKenzie Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV/92 Proof
$150 to $175
Only 200 Bottles in the U.S. at specialty retailers

What the Distillery Says:
Limited to just 200 bottles in the USA, this malt commemorates a moment in time from 1263 when the leader of Clan MacKenzie, later owners of The Dalmore Distillery, saved King Alexander III from a charging wild stag. In gratitude, the King gave the MacKenzies the right to use the stag’s head on their coat of arms and it appears on every bottle to this day. The malt was distilled on December 17, 1992 and rested 12 years in new American Oak before being finished in port wine butts for six years – an unusual maturation for The Dalmore, which is most often finessed in sherry casks. The resulting spirit, encased in historical packaging depicting the moment, is a single malt for all MacKenzies (and a few, other fortunate souls) to remember and savor.

Color: Deep mahagony, highlighted with amber and ruby flashes
Nose: Warming and rich. Top notes of stone fruits and citrus melt into a focused core of plumy, Port compote, with subtle accents of ginger and almond. Enticing as it unfolds.
Taste: Unctuous and rich; envelops the tongue. Smokey, peaty flavors play out against the sweet fruitiness of dry oak and the port finish, leaving a wake of chocolate truffle and marmalade notes in decadent balance.
Finish: Long and warming, with Port flavors prevailing to lend a pleasantly sweet parting kiss to the fire of the malt.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The additional port pipe aging gives it a much richer nose in a family of already rich whiskies. Orchard fruits, ginger, and citrus shine through.
Palate: Oh damn that’s good! Very rich with a smoky palate that isn’t the norm for Dalmore. There are fruity sweet notes and some very nice chocolate in there.
Finish: Smokey, dry, oak, and the lingering note of a fine cigar.
Comments: I really like this one…A LOT. Given it’s price point right around the same as the standard 18 Year Old I’ll tell you to buy this over that every day of the week and twice on Sundays (if you can buy alcohol on Sundays where you live). The bad news is that only 200 bottle of this limited release came to the U.S. Given how much better this is for the same price and that it is a limited release it only underscores my assertion that the standard 18 Year is overpriced. I still have a hard time telling you buy this because it is a bit expensive. If it was $100 a bottle I’d tell you to buy the hell out of it. Regardless of price, this is a great whisky and if you have the opportunity definitely try it.
Rating: Must Try

We would like to thank Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us with review samples.

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Dalmore 18 Year Old

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Dalmore 18 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
43% ABV/86 Proof
$150 to $165
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
Blended in the inimitable Dalmore style, combining primary aging in American White oak with finishing in sherry casks, this expression strikes the perfect balance between a forceful youth and the elegance of age.

Color: Reddish-to-dark brown with copper highlights
Nose: Soft hints of pine and lemongrass coupled with spicy cinnamon. Nut aromas from the sherry butts, yielding to chocolate, oranges,
dried flowers and spice
Taste: Delicate oak notes from 14 years in American White oak casks.
Orange and citrus move to the fore, with sweet molasses, chocolate spiced cinnamon, truffles, rosemary and clove flavors from four years in Matusalem sherry butts playing against the sweet smokiness of the malt
Finish: Medium-long, with a progression of lingering dried fruits, spice
and toffee flavors

What Richard Says:
Nose: Sherry heavy and not as sweet (lacking the sweet orange notes) of younger Dalmores. Heavier with a nutty quality and very spicy.
Palate: It reminds me of southern brown gravy. The savory notes come through in that kind of way. It doesn’t taste like gravy there’s just something there that I can’t pinpoint. There is a lot of oak and I get some rosemary and espresso bean too.
Finish: The finish is moderately long and I get a nutty sweetness with some dark chocolate hanging around.
Comments: This is another Dalmore I can’t trade up for. It’ll take the Gran Reserva over this. It’s still a stand out malt but given the price point and some odd palate subtleties I can’t recommend it beyond that.
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us with review samples.

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Dalmore 15 Year

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Dalmore 15 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
$75 to $85
Widely Available
The Dalmore 15 Years Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says:
Delivering the perfect balance between spirit, wood and maturity, The Dalmore 15 Year Old is the mainstay of the Distillery’s range of malts. It has been crafted from wood infused with three rare Sherries from worldrenowned Gonzalez-Byass—Apostoles, Amoroso and Matusalem—to achieve a deeply mellow whisky.

Color: Rich mahogany.
Nose: Intense and firm. Well structured with slightly sweet malt tones. The nose has great finesse, with fragrances of orange, marmalade and spice, and just a hint of Oloroso sherry in the background.
Taste: Good attack on the mouth; well balanced between elegance and muscle. Aging in Oloroso butts helps to soothe the heat of the spirit and brings a concentrated, citric mouth-feel to the forefront.
Finish: There is no mistaking the sherry wood finish of the malt, which closes with a medium-long, complex sweetness.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Classic Dalmore on the nose. Rich and savory with hints of oranges, clove, sherry and cinnamon bread (think Amish Friendship Bread).
Palate: Very hot on the mouth. Much more than you would expect from something in the 40% ABV weight class. Fruity and slightly spicy but the wood and sherry kick out at you fast and heavy.
Finish: Sherry, wood, ginger, and kind of a molasses cookie taste.
Comments: I can’t say I love this one. I don’t find the value in trading up from the Gran Reserva. I guess it’s the palate. The nose and finish are very nice but the palate doesn’t do it for me. And after all, don’t we buy the stuff to drink it?
Rating: Average

We would like to thank Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us with review samples.

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Dalmore Gran Reserva

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The Dalmore Gran Reserva Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV/80 Proof
$64.99
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
The Gran Reserva offers a lively, youthful expression of malt whisky derived from the combination of 60 percent sherry wood and 40 percent American white oak-aged malts ranging from 10 to 15 years of age. The sherry cask proportion is increased to around 60 percent, delivering an intense citrus and spicy
experience with balancing sweet, vanilla finish.

Color: Mahogany, trending toward soft gold hues, rather than amber.
Nose: Firm; spirituous. Pleasing citric notes dominate the forceful bouquet, which is balanced by soft shadings of sherry and vanillin oak.
Taste: Distinctive malt flavors predominate at first, before yielding to sweet marmalade and spice cake. Hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate complete an almost classic, single malt expression characteristic of The Dalmore.
Finish: Ripe oranges and lemon peel provide the zesty, top notes to a moderate finish with a kiss of peat.

What Richard Says:
Nose: A fine steakhouse dinner with orange zest. A heavy cabernet or malbec with perfectly broiled New York strip. There’s a meaty character that plays well with the sherry.
Palate: Sweet and zesty initially. It settles well in the mouth and reminds me of espresso and cocoa powder.
Finish: The finish is smooth with a little of that citrus zest. That meaty/sherry playfulness from the nose lingers in the throat.
Comments: A few years ago Dalmore went through a rebranding. Bottles were changes, expressions were rotated, bottling proofs moved a little. The Gran Reserva is the spiritual successor to the old Cigar Malt. I miss the Cigar Malt. It was a personal favorite. However, it was a bit sweeter than the Gran Reserva. As my appreciation for fine cigars has grown I realize the Gran Reserva is actually a better accompaniment. It flows in nicely next to the cigar rather that vying for attention.
Rating: Stands Out

Our thanks to Laura with The Baddish Group for providing us with review samples.

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Glenmorangie Astar

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Glenmorangie Astar
57.1% ABV, 114.2 Proof
Around $75, Widely Available
Website

What The Distillery Says:
From the tall peaks of Missouri ‘Ozarks’ to the sweeping grandeur of the Highlands of Scotland, Astar (in Gaelic it means “journey”) is the story of our quest to ‘design’ the very best oak casks that will deliver perfection in the final spirit; the result is a deep, rich, silky and creamy malt that embodies Glenmorangie’s art of whisky creation.

What Richard Says:
Nose: The high bottling strength makes for a trying nose.  The alcohol tends to get in the way.  It’s very delicate and clean.  Crisp apples. With water there is a hint of peat and more of a nutty character.  Also more apple and under ripe fruit.
Palate: Very tart opening with a mild vegetal quality but soon the alcohol bulldozes everything out of the way.  Not a dram to be had without water.  The flavor is too delicate for bottle strength.  With water a honey sweetness develops and is followed by grassy notes.
Finish: Straight, the finish is all alcohol burn.  Once water is added you get a tart finish bookending the tart opening.
Comments: Astar is the “heart” of the new Glenmorangie Original and it shares many characteristics from nose through to the finish.  I would like to maybe see this bottled down around 46% ABV.  Heresy to some but that’s just my opinion.  This flavor profile is much too delicate for so much alcohol.
Rating: Average

What Matt Says:
Nose: Without water the alcohol is dominant, but there is a strong scent of bread dough.  With water, the nose opens to a cornucopia of aromas.  Green apples (the meaty bit, not the skin), vanilla, honeysuckle, oak, and spice all dance together to a sensuous melody.
Palate: There is a lot of oak and spice here.  With water the fruit and sweetness is revealed.  Green apples, cinnamon, ginger, mint, vanilla, and a creamy sweetness like sweetened condensed milk.
Finish: Neat, there is enough burn for a bonfire.  With water, there is tartness (like green apple skins).
Comments: As with anything from Glenmorangie, I carry a slight sentimental bias.  I don’t think this is a dram for a novice, but I would recommend it for a seasoned whisky drinker.  I’m not sure the high proof is necessary.  The best bits of this whisky don’t come out until you add water.  However, that means that this bottle will last me about twice as long (which makes for better value).
Rating:  Stands Out

Overall Rating:  Average.  Not for the novice or the faint of heart.

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