The Dalmore ‘Four’!
Last Sunday night I had the pleasure of attending another @TweetTastings, courtesy of Steve from The Whisky Wire.
The Dalmore was the distillery in question and we had the pleasure of sampling four of their range.
They were:-
- The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select
- The Dalmore Cigar Malt
- The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve
- The Dalmore King Alexander III
We were also fortunate to be joined on the night by Stephen Martin (@shakenstephen) who is Global Single Malt Whisky Specialist for Whyte & Mackay.
If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #TheDalmore on Twitter.
So, what did I think?
Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!
Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select (43%)
Initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being finished in casks that previously held Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry.
It is designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in whisky production and the art of cask curation.
Available from October! (rrp £69.99)
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Nose: Beloved old wood & furniture polish! Stewed, sherried fruits and creamy vanilla sweetness. Crisp n’ crunchy green apples. Palate: Sweet sherry, creamy chocolate, vanilla and a smidgen of cherries on the palate! Finish: Creamy with rich fruits & spicy black pepper – very warming and satisfying! Overall: A great dram, it has all the classic hallmarks of a Dalmore and should be a worthy addition to The Dalmore range. |
| Will Be Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Cigar Malt (44%)
Initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, with a small proportion remaining in the casks. The rest being transferred into a combination of Gonzalez Byass sherry casks which have previously contained 30 year old Matusalem oloroso sherry and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques.
Master Distiller for Cigar Malt Reserve, Richard Paterson (@the_nose) said: “The body, structure and character of this extraordinary expression is the perfect complement to a fine cigar.”
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Nose: Orange and furniture polish with pencil shavings thrown on the floor! Fruity & caramel aromas come along later. Palate: Quite oily and buttery – sweet but not overpowering with rich chocolate. Finish: Some sharp spiciness to jiggle those taste buds! Overall: ’tis a nicely balanced dram. As for going well with a cigar I’ll have to take up smoking! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve (46.5%)
Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred into a combination American white oak casks and aged Tawny Port pipes from W & J Graham’s vineyard in Portugal.
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Nose: Red wine with a healthy slug of portiness. Again, there’s that furniture polish and pencil shavings thing goin’ on! Getting more of the chocolate with this one. It’s also fruity with some apples & blackcurrant. Palate: Spiciness to the fore – and cracking with it! Smooth with nice flavours of chocolate, porty fruits and hints of liquorice. Finish: Lots of peppery spice ending with quite a tannin dryness. Overall: A great dram with some finely balanced spice and fruitiness. |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – The Dalmore King Alexander III (40%)
Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, before being transferred into a combination of ex-bourbon casks Matusalem oloroso sherry casks, Madeira barrels, Marsala casks, Port pipes and Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques.
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Nose: Slow to give of it’s secrets this one – it demands patience! Plasticine & old school rooms. Along comes caramel, orange and chocolate but not so pronounced as the other drams. There’s a little bit of mint bit and nice tropical aromas after quite a sit in the glass. Palate: Orange, rich fruits, creamy chocolate, tropical flavours and some mintiness as well! Finish: Glorious tempered spice which gives way to some woodiness and shades of liquorice. Overall: That’s very smooth – not even a hint of harshness! It’s not a cheap dram but it is like a luxury car: beautifully balanced, comfortable, relaxing and you never want the journey to end! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
My Favourite On The Night
Even though the King Alexander III is superb, out of the four drams, I think it’s got to be the The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select. It’s incredibly tasty and taking price-point in consideration as well, the best all-rounder on the night.
Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and The Dalmore (@DalmoreWhisky) for providing the samples and without whom!
The Dalmore Sherry Cask Select is Available from October!
My fellow Tweeters were:-
@TheWhiskyWire @MaltMusings @whiskeychap @TheWhiskyNovice @rodbodtoo @ReviewsWhisky @2rumheads @whiskyrover @dvdbloke @WhiskyWings @StillSurreal @WhiskynStuff @MrMDMaloney @PoshScotch @DramofWar @somewhiskybloke @SplashyWine @PhilScott101 @Jotterface @FiShoop @SpiritAndWood @JasonGilluley @LeedsWine @AK_The_Great @bogstandarddram @dram_gazette @LaCaveDeCobalt
