Archives for April 5, 2017

Dalmore / 21 Year Old Single Malt

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Highland.
ABV: 42%.
Unit: 70cl.
Dalmore first introduced a 21-year-old expression back in the days of American Brands’ ownership during the 1990s. That variant contained around one-third whisky matured in sherry casks and the rest aged in bourbon wood. Ultimately, it was dropped from the line-up, leaving the 18-year-old as the standard bearer at the upper end of the regular age range, along with an annual 3,000-bottle limited release of 25-year-old.
The Dalmore Owners Whyte & Mackay Ltd. felt that there was room for another product in the upper age sphere, and in 2015 a new version of the 21-year-old was released, along with a 30-year-old retailing at four times the price. With the 21-year-old, master blender Richard Paterson departed from the previous bottling at the same age in a major way. He matured Dalmore for 10 years in American oak barrels before a further 11-year period of secondary maturation in first-fill Matusalem oloroso sherry butts from his favoured bodega of Gonzalez Byass, which has been supplying Dalmore distillery with casks for over 100 years.
Everyone knows that Dalmore thrives in sherry wood, and the result here is a sherry-matured classic; well-integrated, robust, yet refined and even elegant, with the brand’s hallmark rich orange, coffee, and chocolate characteristics being augmented by liquorice, cinnamon, and balsamic notes.
Only 8,000 bottles of the ‘new’ 21-year-old have been produced, and according to Richard Paterson, if there is to be another release at the same age in future, it will entail a different maturation regime, making this effectively a limited edition. Paterson has frequently used Gonzales Byass oloroso casks in previous Dalmore creations, but the results have rarely been bettered. —Gavin Smith / Whisky Advocate.