When planning my reviews I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result, my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with specific distilleries like today or bottlers, regions or countries. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate more on the Whisky itself and won't touch too much details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. In this special I will review three expressions produced at the Highland Distillery Dalmore. Enjoy!
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Country: Scotland
Region: Northern Highlands
Brand: Dalmore Castle Leod (Home of Clan Mackenzie) 1995 - Discontinued
Type: Single Malt Whisky - Limited Edition - 5000 Bottles - Bottled 2011
Age: 16 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: American White Oak casks and Spanish Sherry Wood finished for 18 months in Bordeaux Premier Cru Red Wine casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 380- 480 (October 2018)
Buying Advice: 😏 Good Single Malt. Negative P/Q ratio. A collectors item!
Colour:
Dark Amber with a touch of Orange (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
Sweet and a little Heavy. The Red Wine (Cabernet-Sauvignon) Finish is quite noticeable. A distant hint of Sulphur perhaps. A mix of Brandy and Port Wine comes to mind. It's not bad but a little odd.
Main Aromas:
Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Plums, Treacle, Brown Sugar, Salted Caramel, Seville Orange, Dark Chocolate, Ginger and Cinnamon.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey Nut Breakfast Cereals, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Yeast, Oak, Cooked Pears, Grilled Pineapple, Nutmeg and Leather.
Palate:
Bitter-Sweet and quite Dry. The Oak is much more noticeable than on the Nose. The Red Wine casks are very present. This Dalmore could or perhaps should have been bottled at around 50%. And should not contain added Caramel.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Butterscotch, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Plums, Toasted Almonds, Seville Oranges, Dark Chocolate, Port Wine, Oak, Ginger and Cinnamon.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Straw, Coconut, Espresso, Licorice, Lemon, Pepper, Cloves, Dark Berries, Mango Cream and overripe Bananas.
Finish:
Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet and Medium-Spicy. The ABV could have been a little higher. It's not really Thin but I miss a bit of a kick. It sort of fades away. Quite Dry towards the end. I find Toasted Barley, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Plums, Nuts, Salted Caramel/Toffee, Seville Oranges, Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Mulled Red Wine, Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, light Licorice, Dark Berries and overripe Bananas.
Drinking Advice:
I added a few drops of Water and the Nose relaxes. The overall Aroma profile does not change significantly but the balance between Whisky and Red Wine improves. Nice, clear Dark Chocolate notes. This improved balance continues on the Palate. The Finish gets an extra Spicy kick. The Castle Leod clearly improves with added Water!
Rating: 85.5
Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5
Drinking Experience:
Good. A bit too much Red Wine influence for my personal taste. Added Water improves the balance.
Conclusion:
The 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 or so, Master Blender Richard Patterson did a lot to reposition Dalmore as a worldwide Single Malt. The distillery currently produces around 4 million litres.
This Single Malt was launched in 2011 with the specific aim to raise money for the maintenance of Castle Leod, home to the Mackenzie clan. it followed the success of the Dalmore Mackenzie that had been released a year earlier.
The Castle Leod is a well-made Single Malt that will certainly please the fans of the Whisky/Red Wine combination. Usually I'm not a big fan of this combo as the Red Wine tends to dominate the Whisky. That's also the case here although I do not complain about the quality of the Wine casks that were used. I believe that this Dalmore would have benefited from a slightly shorter Red Wine Finish and a slightly higher ABV. The Castle Leod was released as a limited edition and, as a consequence, has been discontinued in the meantime. Current prices for the remaining bottles are usually between 400 and 500 US Dollars. That's way too expensive for what this Whisky offers.
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Country: Scotland
Region: Northern Highlands
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: I- Ex-Bourbon Casks, II- Ex-Sherry Wood, III - Port Pipe Finish.
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 60-70 (October 2018)
Buying Advice: 😡 Young Whisky that tries to hide behind a variety of Wood.
Colour:
Amber/Copper (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
Relatively Young, Malty and Bitter-Sweet. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. I also find a fair amount of Sulphur. The influence of Sherry Wood and Port Pipes is noticeable but at least part of the casks is of indifferent quality.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Caramel, Dried Fruit like Apricots, Raisins and Plums, Toasted Nuts, Seville Orange, Dirt Road, Ginger and Dark Red Fruit.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Toffee, Almond Liqueur, Vanilla, Marzipan, Dusty Oak, Cardboard, Varnish, Milk Chocolate, Lemon, Tobacco, Leather and Cloves.
Palate:
Young, Thin, Sharp and Bitter-Sweet. The Bitterness increases along the way. The Alcohol is noticeable. There's a Blended Whisky feeling to this Dalmore.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Caramel, Treacle, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums, Apricots & Figs, Nuts, Seville Oranges, Lemon, Red Wine, Dark Berries, Pepper, Ginger and Tea.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Prune Obstler, Dusty Oak, Varnish, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Cloves, Nutmeg and Espresso.
Finish:
Young, Thin and Short. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the Dry end. I find Toasted Barley, Caramel, Butterscotch, Dried Fruit like Raisins & Plums and Figs, Seville Orange, Coconut, Nuts and Nutshells, Dusty Refill Oak, Dark Berries, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Cocoa.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water does not improve this Dalmore. It's already too Thin and Rough as it is.
Rating: 77.5
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 18.5 - Overall: 19.5
Drinking Experience:
The Nose is sort of okay. The rest is below average.
Conclusion:
The Valour started its maturation in American White Oak Ex-Bourbon Casks from Boston and Clermont. The spirit was subsequently transferred to 30 year old Matusalem Oloroso casks from Gonzalez Byass. Finally the combo was finished in Douro Port Pipes from Portugal. It was released in 2013, initially for the Travel Retail market only.
The Dalmore Valour is another one of those Travel Retail releases that combines Young Whisky and a variety of indifferent Wood for some added Aroma/Flavour. I can't recommend the Valour. Better stay with the regular 12 and 15 Years if you are a Dalmore fan.
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Country: Scotland
Region: Northern Highlands
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon casks with Matusalem Sherry Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 100-120 (October 2018)
Buying Advice: 😐 Not bad but a little too expensive for what it offers.
Colour:
Amber/Mahogany (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
Sweet, Dry & a little Dusty. Not bad though. Again, I pick up some Sulphur. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. Be sure to give this Dalmore enough time in the glass. The Sherry Cask influence is certainly noticeable.
Main Aromas:
Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Dark Berries, Sultanas, Raisins, Dates and Plums, Mixed Nuts, Orange, Lemon, Milk Chocolate, Marzipan, Ripe Banana, Pineapple and Ginger.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Farm Yard, Dusty Track, Dried Herbs, Honey, Tea, Oak, Tinned Peach or Nectarine, Leather, Menthol and Cloves.
Palate:
Bitter-Sweet and slightly on the Thin side. An ABV of 46% would have helped in this case. The Sulphur is still noticeable. The Palate basically follows the Nose.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit like Dark Berries, Raisins, Plums and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Orange, Lemon, Pineapple, Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Tobacco.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Honey, Dusty Old Shelves, Dusty Track, Herbal Tea, Ripe Bananas and Nutmeg.
Finish:
Short to Medium-Long. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the Dry end. I find Toasted Barley, Dried Fruit like Dark Berries, Raisins and Plums, Mixed Nuts, Brown Sugar, Honey, Dusty Old Shelves, Bitter Chocolate, Espresso, Orange, Toffee, Caramel, Honey, Straw, Pineapple, Tobacco, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves.
Drinking Advice:
I added a few drops of Water and on the Nose some Floral and Perfume notes appear. The Orange becomes even more clear. Palate and Finish remain more or less the same but you almost forget you're drinking Whisky this way. A little bit dangerous!
Rating: 84.5
Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21
Drinking Experience:
Good
Conclusion:
In 1263, King Alexander III was almost gored by a mighty Stag. One of the ancestors of the Mackenzie Clan saved him with a single arrow shot. As a reward the Clan won the right to bear a Stag's Head with twelve (Royal) points to its antlers in their Coat of Arms. The ownership is also called Dominium. The Mackenzie Family later became the owners of The Dalmore Distillery and added the Stag emblem to their bottles.
The Dalmore Dominium is one of four NAS Dalmore expressions created by Richard Paterson and called The Fortune Merita (Fortune Favours the Brave) Collection. Initially they could only be acquired in Travel Retail shops but now they are widely available. All four have matured in Ex-Bourbon casks made of American White Oak. The difference lies in the finish. All four are finished in different Ex-Sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass, a long term partner of Dalmore. The Regalis is finished in Amoroso, the Dominium in Matusalem, the Valour in a mix of both Matusalem - and Port Wine and the Luceo in First-Fill Apostoles. The latter is in fact a 30 Year old Palo Cortado, sweetened with PX. The Collection was launched in 2016.
Dalmore Single Malts almost never surprise. You will always get lots of Caramel, Dried Fruits, Nuts, Spices, Bitter Chocolate and Oranges. Depending on the cask or casks used for Finishing some extra Flavours/Aromas are added. The main differences between Dalmore Malts are usually caused by Age and Cask quality. The combination of mature Dalmore and good casks produces a good Single Malt, especially if you like the basic X-Mas-like Aroma/Flavour profile. Young Dalmore Spirit enhanced by exotic casks and provided with fancy names and stories should be left undisturbed. You're usually safe with the core range that also provides the best Price/Quality ratio.
Jan van den Ende October 18, 2018
The Pictures were taken during our visit to Dalmore in May 2017
