One Dalmore and one that's fifteen times cheaper

October 9, 2013

One Dalmore and one that's
fifteen times cheaper

We're having the brand new Dalmore today. I hereby swear upon the fact that I'll try to focus on the whisky and forget about the brand's pompous current marketing, cross my heart (and hope to die).

Dalmore 25 yo (42%, OB, 2013)

So this is brand new. Not too sure it's even out yet, but it's most probably finished. Haha. At 42% vol., the price of this bottle would make even a little girl who just lost her puppy laugh (more than 700 euros a bottle). Colour: orangey amber. Nose: this is the problem with these insane oldish Dalmores, they're undisputedly wonderful whiskies. If you like blood oranges and fruit ganaches, you'll love this. Ad raspberries too, and milk chocolate, and peonies, and rose water, and espresso coffee, and tangerine jam, and Havana cigars... Crikey, most sadly, what a beautiful nose! Mouth: blimey! There's maybe a slightly excessive oakiness in the arrival (there!) but after just one second, this baby starts to unfold like if you entered a jam factory in Provence. Or Andalucia, if you prefer. Raspberries again, very vivid notes of cassis, cherries, oranges as always, then liquorice and coffee, herbal teas, touches of capsicum, juniper berries... Drat! Finish: and it's even quite long, maybe a notch astringent at this point but the jammy side remains there. Bitter oranges, a little bitter tea, liquorice. Comments: I hate it that these ridiculously expensive new Dalmores remain so good... What could I possibly add? SGP:661 - 90 points.

Dalmore 2000/2012 (53.4%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 12035, 290 bottles)

I agree I may have had to try this one before the older official, but as the strength is much higher, I decided to play it safe. Colour: gold. Nose: more oomph of course, a bigger grassiness, more chocolate and rather less fresh and 'jammy' fruits than in the official 25, although the blood oranges and the raspberries are well there. Wee hints of orange squash, Fanta... With water: works very well. Cedar wood, soft spices, cherry stem tea, pipe tobacco, a little earth, even mushrooms... Swims like a champ and becomes very complex. Mouth (neat): very powerful, even a little prickly, starting on oranges and green peppercorns. Some chlorophyll, tea, ginger, a lot of orange zests, then more apple peelings. It's pretty rough. With water: a miracle! Less green spices and many more fruits, oranges again, white cherries, dried pears... Having aid that, it remains relatively spicy. Finish: long, now with more of Dalmore's usual chocolate. Oranges again in the aftertaste. Comments: another excellent one, it's just that it really needs water. SGP:561 - 87 points.

Check the index of all Dalmore I've tasted so far

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback