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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Crown Royal Black

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Crown Royal Black Blended Canadian Whisky
45% ABV/90 Proof
$30 to $35
Widely available across the U.S.

What the Distillery Says:
“Robust, full bodied blended Canadian whisky.”

What Richard Says:
Nose: Warmth, mild oak, and a little burnt sugar. Very bourbon like.
Palate: Surprising sweetness on the palate like brown sugar. There’s something else that reminds me of something sweet and chewy. It could be raisins but that doesn’t seem quite right.
Finish: The finish starts off warm, moves toward a medicinal note that I’m not a fan of and then finishes with a charred oak flavor.
Comments: Crown basically positions this as the big brother of their standard offering. Kicked up a notch if you will. I really think that’s a needed notch. There’s a lot more going on here and I like it a lot more than standard Crown. I’d actually choose to drink this. That said, I’m not a big fan of Crown so if you are, you might not like this different approach. It’s kind of like Crown for bourbon drinkers.
Rating: Average

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