The Dalmore Tasting - Scotch Society 305
Thanks to Scotch Society 305, the new Miami-based group putting together some high-end tasting events, we got a chance to try a significant cross section of The Dalmore’s core lineup on a lovely South Florida evening. The Dalmore’s US brand ambassador, Benjamin Boice, led the tasting, and provided us with a wealth of information about the brand. To be honest, it might have been a little too much, as I just wanted to get down to the drinking! The Dalmore is far from my favorite whisky due to its sometimes overpowering sweetness. However, I walked away with a more nuanced understanding of how their spirit evolves, which is only possible with a vertical tasting like the one we attended. The Dalmore 12 (40% ABV) - It's funny, I could have sworn that I've had this and reviewed it before. But I don't see anything in the books, so here we go. We had a glass of this at the start to whet the palate, and it’s a nice, easy-sipping scotch with light citrus tones but also a rough, woody, scratchiness (for lack of a better word) on the finish. Ironically, that lack of refinement actually helps it because it adds some texture to the dram and cuts down on the sweetness, so I prefer it to its closest brethren like the 15-year old. B The Dalmore Port Wood (46.5%) - This is the newest addition to the lineup, and Ben informed us that the average age of the whisky here is about 15 years. There’s obviously much younger juice in here, however, because if they could put 15 on the bottle, I guarantee that they would have. Its nose exhibits an alluring mixture of chocolate syrup (think ice cream sundaes with Hershey’s sauce) and clay. The palate has more grip than I expected, and is appreciably thicker than the comparatively watery 12- and 15-year expressions. However, it’s so sweet and sugary that I couldn’t imagine myself having a full 2-ounce pour, much less a second glass. This scotch rounds out nicely with dried apricots, raspberries, some graham cracker, and toasted oak. This is probably $20 too expensive, and lacks ideal balance, but at least it has a distinctive personality. B The Dalmore 15 (40%) - This one was the bottom of the barrel for me tonight, as it was when I tried this in London. Again, without doing a complete re-review, this whisky is the clearest expression of Dalmore’s signature orange citrus or orange rind note, but it’s too thin, sweet, and unbalanced to captivate me. Tonight, I probably would have shaved its grade down to C+ rather than the B- I gave it last year. It is the sagging middle of this distillery's core range. The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve (44%) - Thankfully, the next whisky we enjoyed was the clear winner of the night. Cigar Malt is Richard Paterson’s take on an ideal scotch-and-cigar pairing. It is a noticeably meatier, punchier dram, with more spice notes that modulate its sweetness. Everything about this makes sense, as its notes would stand up to a cigar, and even its flaws may help it not be overpowered in that cigar lounge-style setting. A bunch of ethanol vapor needs time to waft off, but once it’s gone, a rich caramel settles in. This is a spicy scotch, akin to Big Red gum, with more caramel and sherry accompaniment. The finish exhibits a mild sherry tinge, some tobacco leaf, and sharp cinnamon. It’s not complex, but it has backbone. That being said, I'm persistently aggravated by the low ABVs that all of these Dalmore bottlings feature; this dram, at 48-52%, would be much more impressive and would probably be a better cigar companion. B+ The Dalmore 18 (43%) - I've reviewed this one before, so I won't belabor it. It's a big step up from the 15-year, and almost feels like a scotch from a different distillery. This dram has a unique, intense berry or berry-skin note on the finish. It's a quality dram, but an overpriced one.
The Dalmore King Alexander III (40%) - The story behind this one is part of the distillery's founding legend, which relates to a clansman of the Mackenzies who saved the Scottish King Alexander III from a stag (hence the stag stamped on all of the bottles). For such an expensive scotch, weighing in at $280 or so a bottle, I was hoping for something more. This is similar to, yet milder than, the 18-year old, but it's too nondescript to justify its soaring price tag. The distinctive notes that distinguish it from its younger and less expensive siblings are a creamy hazelnut and toffee or caramel flavors that make this whisky seem like the least sherry-influenced of the bunch. B