"Dalmore Or Less”
Whisky Review # 1098
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Northern Highlands
Brand: Dalmore Luminary No. 2 2024 Edition
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age:16 Years
Age:16 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 48.6%
Maturation: White Oak Bourbon casks with a finish in Graham's Tawny Port Pipes and 30 Year old Apostoles Sherry casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 240-330 (July 2026)
Maturation: White Oak Bourbon casks with a finish in Graham's Tawny Port Pipes and 30 Year old Apostoles Sherry casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 240-330 (July 2026)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Way too Expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 Better stick with the regular 12 and 15 Years
Colour:
Copper with shades of Orange and Brown(Natural Colour)
Nose:
Rather shy on the Nose. Give it time in the glass. There is a bit of Sulfur there but it stays within limits. There's (Dried) Fruit but I also find some Metallic and Burnt notes. The Peat Smoke is a mere hint in the background. The influence of the Port casks is limited which works well here. The Nose is okay but a bit on the Light side despite the adequate ABV.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley Sugars, Vanilla, Bahlsen Butter Biscuits, Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Apricots and Figs, Dusty Earth, Black Berries & Cherries, Dusty Charred Oak, Wet Newspaper, Seville-Orange, Milk Chocolate, Licorice, Nutmeg, Cloves & Menthol.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Grass, Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup, Dusty Peat, Smoke from a distant Fire, Smoked Ham sprinkled with Lemon-Herbs, Car Scrapyard, Polished Leather Upholstery, Pepper, Cinnamon and Ginger.
Palate:
The delivery is a bit weak, something I would not expect at almost 49%. The Sulfur is somewhat stronger now. The Palate follows the Nose with a random mix of Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Burnt & Musty notes. The Port Finish is also more noticeable at this point. It's really a bit of a mixed bag if you ask me and I would like to see more balance.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Figs & Dates, Black Berries/Cherries, Red Wine, Seville-Orange, Dusty Earth, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Burnt Matches, Old Metal, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves and Licorice.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Apricot-filled Puff Pastry, Smoked Ham with Lemon, Wet Paper, Stale Nuts, Herbal Tea, Tangerine, Cinnamon, Ginger, Menthol, Rubber, Espresso & Soot.
Finish:
Middle-Long and Tannic. A mix of Sweet, Bitter and slightly Sour notes. Quite Dry in the end. I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Caramel, Honey, Vanilla, Black Cherries & Berries, Red Wine, Seville-Orange, Lemon, Herbal Tea, Dusty Charred Oak, Stale Nuts, Cacao Powder, Light Smoke, Dirty Earth, Burnt Matches, Dried Fruit, Pepper and Nutmeg, Cloves and Mint. A bit of Licorice, Soot, Metal and Espresso after a while.
Colour:
Copper with shades of Orange and Brown(Natural Colour)
Nose:
Rather shy on the Nose. Give it time in the glass. There is a bit of Sulfur there but it stays within limits. There's (Dried) Fruit but I also find some Metallic and Burnt notes. The Peat Smoke is a mere hint in the background. The influence of the Port casks is limited which works well here. The Nose is okay but a bit on the Light side despite the adequate ABV.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley Sugars, Vanilla, Bahlsen Butter Biscuits, Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Apricots and Figs, Dusty Earth, Black Berries & Cherries, Dusty Charred Oak, Wet Newspaper, Seville-Orange, Milk Chocolate, Licorice, Nutmeg, Cloves & Menthol.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Grass, Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup, Dusty Peat, Smoke from a distant Fire, Smoked Ham sprinkled with Lemon-Herbs, Car Scrapyard, Polished Leather Upholstery, Pepper, Cinnamon and Ginger.
The delivery is a bit weak, something I would not expect at almost 49%. The Sulfur is somewhat stronger now. The Palate follows the Nose with a random mix of Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Burnt & Musty notes. The Port Finish is also more noticeable at this point. It's really a bit of a mixed bag if you ask me and I would like to see more balance.
Main Flavours:
Sweet Toasted Barley, Vanilla, Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Figs & Dates, Black Berries/Cherries, Red Wine, Seville-Orange, Dusty Earth, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Burnt Matches, Old Metal, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves and Licorice.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Caramel, Honey, Apricot-filled Puff Pastry, Smoked Ham with Lemon, Wet Paper, Stale Nuts, Herbal Tea, Tangerine, Cinnamon, Ginger, Menthol, Rubber, Espresso & Soot.
Finish:
Middle-Long and Tannic. A mix of Sweet, Bitter and slightly Sour notes. Quite Dry in the end. I find Sweet Toasted Barley, Caramel, Honey, Vanilla, Black Cherries & Berries, Red Wine, Seville-Orange, Lemon, Herbal Tea, Dusty Charred Oak, Stale Nuts, Cacao Powder, Light Smoke, Dirty Earth, Burnt Matches, Dried Fruit, Pepper and Nutmeg, Cloves and Mint. A bit of Licorice, Soot, Metal and Espresso after a while.
Added Water does not really improve this Dalmore although the mouthfeel is a bit better this way. Try it out both ways.
Rating: 7 (*******)
Nose: 7.5 - Taste: 7 - Finish: 6.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Okay. At this Price Level I expected way more.
Conclusion:
Dalmore distillery is located close to Alness and was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. It is owned by Whyte & Mackay Ltd, part of Emperador Inc. During the last 15 years, Master Blender Richard Patterson did a lot to reposition Dalmore as a worldwide Single Malt. The distillery currently produces around 5.4 million litres The core range consists of the 12, 12 Sherry Cask, 15, 18, 21, 25, King Alexander III, Cigar Malt Reserve and Port Wood Reserve.
I'm not the biggest fan of Dalmore although I really admire their presentation and Bottles. And the basics are good this time. Natural Colour, No Chill-Filtration and a very decent ABV. But somehow it doesn't click with me. It's Dirty but not in a good Springbank or Ledaig way. I get a lot of Burnt, Metallic and Musty notes and the end result is a rather unbalanced Single Malt. That would perhaps be okay at say US$ 75 but not at this price level. So if you like the Dalmore style leave this one alone and stay with the core range.
Conclusion:
Dalmore distillery is located close to Alness and was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. It is owned by Whyte & Mackay Ltd, part of Emperador Inc. During the last 15 years, Master Blender Richard Patterson did a lot to reposition Dalmore as a worldwide Single Malt. The distillery currently produces around 5.4 million litres The core range consists of the 12, 12 Sherry Cask, 15, 18, 21, 25, King Alexander III, Cigar Malt Reserve and Port Wood Reserve.
I'm not the biggest fan of Dalmore although I really admire their presentation and Bottles. And the basics are good this time. Natural Colour, No Chill-Filtration and a very decent ABV. But somehow it doesn't click with me. It's Dirty but not in a good Springbank or Ledaig way. I get a lot of Burnt, Metallic and Musty notes and the end result is a rather unbalanced Single Malt. That would perhaps be okay at say US$ 75 but not at this price level. So if you like the Dalmore style leave this one alone and stay with the core range.
Cheers! Jan. 🥃
Jan van den Ende July 8, 2026
