What a terrific start to our March Whisky Ladies evening!
We dove straight into the Dalmore 15 year… with its robust sherry character and distinctive 12 pointed Royal Stag emblem.
- Nose – Ooh sherry! Raisins, figs, plum cake, caramel, coconut, fruity like sweet oranges, burst of prunes… With those sweet spices of cinnamon… Did we say sherry? Please let’s say it yet again!
- Taste – Very even, smooth and sweet, raisins, spicy coconut, a quality like Amarula, a bit syrupy, faintest puff of smoke
- Finish – Nice linger, warm spice, all Christmasy nice!
- With water? Please don’t. Not needed at all. But if you do, just a few drops brings out the oaky element quite strongly
Overall it was greeted with happy moans of pleasure and comments like :
- “It is like nector!”
- “I’ve found my ‘happy’ spot!”
In short, it was a perfect way to kick-off the evening. Hit all the ‘tick’ boxes for a warm, comfy, sherry dram… certainly going an several notches above merely being ‘pleasant’.
Such a whisky begs to be the start of a relaxed evening, curled up at home, nibbling on cheese and crackers while listening to good music, perhaps with friends or perhaps alone.
What do the distillery folks have to say about their whisky?
This delicate and approachable vintage is initially matured for 12 years in American white oak ex-bourbon casks. The character of The Dalmore 15 is achieved by then splitting the whisky equally between three different sherry woods; Amoroso, Apostoles and Matusalem oloroso for a further three years. The spirit is finally married together in an upstanding sherry butt, allowing the flavours to infuse.
- Aroma: Orange marmalade, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Palate: Mandarin, vanilla, ginger.
- Finish: Christmas spice and oak.
Do we agree? Yes
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Whisky Lady 
Ooow, this is tempting! I must admit I bought the Dalmore 12yo to tick the distillery off my list and left it at that. It’s nice, smooth but you can’t miss the caramel. I can get the 15yo locally quite easily but I’d never seen any reviews for it other than Jim Murray’s and his mark was so-so (83.5/100 instead of the 90/100 for the 12yo). But I love the idea of splitting the whisky after 12 years and having it mature for an extra 3 in 3 different types of sherry wood. That sounds like a lovely mix. If I see a bottle on offer again I’ll get one. Cheers! 🙂
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It certainly isn’t complex or nuanced but it is one of those familiar friends where you know what to expect. 🙂
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