Country: Scotland
Region: Northern Highlands
Brand: The Dalmore 1996
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 14 Years
ABV: 55.5 %
Colour: Pale Straw/White Wine. Completely different from the regular Distillery bottlings that receive a "healthy" dose of Caramel.
Nose: In a Blind Tasting it would be nearly impossible to recognise this Single Malt as a Dalmore. Completely different profile. Grass, Oak, Heather and other Floral Tones, Sour Green Apples and Grapefruit are my first impressions. They are followed by Malt, Honey, Nuts, Butter Biscuits, Mint and Lemon Zest. A bit of Alcohol as well. Slightly disappointing all in all.
Palate: Malt, White Pepper, Sour Grapes, Orange, Vanilla, Grassy/Floral Tones, Grapefruit, Honey, slightly Bitter Oak and hints of Ginger.
Finish: Rather Short with Creamy Vanilla, Pepper, Citrus, Honey, Malt, Mint, Bitter Lemon and Sour Fruit.
I added a bit of Water and I got more Wood on the Nose. Otherwise the Nose remains Grassy and Floral. White Pepper and Bitter Oak seek to dominate Palate and Finish. The Dalmore allows you to play with a couple of drops of Water.
Rating: 80.5
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20
General Remarks: The Dalmore we are tasting today was distilled on October 29, 1996 and was bottled by/for Independent Bottler Whiskybroker Co. in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2011. It matured in a Refill Hogshead with Cask # 9091. A mere 310 bottles were reserved by Whiskybase in Rotterdam, Holland. The rest of the Cask was marketed via Master of Malt. I don't think it's still widely available. Lately it was priced at around 50 US Dollars. This whisky is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: Certainly Highland, maybe even more so than the regular Distillery bottlings like the 12 and 15 where Orange and Chocolate rule. Still, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this Dalmore. Sour and Bitter are not my favourite flavour profiles. If you love Bitter Lemon Soda however, this might well be the Single Malt you were always looking for.
Jan van den Ende August 11, 2013
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