Monday 14 November 2016

Dalmore Vertical: 12yo, 15yo, 18yo & Signatory 1990

Dalmore… 
Just the name evokes… premium. The magic word in whisky really. Well, in reality Dalmore is super-premium and ultra-premium. The whisky for the Ferrari driving masses. It makes the people buying it look like they have money and are rather stylish, much like said Ferrari.

For the whisky enthusiast, Dalmore is a bit of a dirty word. Overpriced and lacking in craft, it’s a brand that has been really trying a bit too hard to be the whisky for the guy with more money than sense (just look at the Constellation collection!). It’s also probably why Macallan went in the same direction. Or did Dalmore follow Macallan...?
Enough. Here’s my reviews:

Dalmore 12 year old 40%
Colour: E150a
Body: Medium
Nose: Honey and Sherry. Lots of chocolate orange.
Taste: Sherry and vanilla, oranges and dark chocolate. Chocolate orange.
Finish: Short length. Gentle with sweetness and caramel.
69/100

Dalmore 15 40%
Colour: E150a
Body: Light/Medium
Nose: Sweet, honey, caramel, sherry, light pastry/biscuit note, stewed fruit- Apple, blackcurrant and plum, vanilla, some spice. Very Dalmore.
Taste: Initial sherry and honey sweetness then building dry spice with oak. Cinnamon bark. Less fruity than the nose- Apple and blackcurrant crumble.
Finish: Medium length. Woody, oaky and spicy.
Notes: More oaky and dry but less bitter than the 18. Same score though.
71/100


Dalmore 18 year old 43%
Colour: E150a
Body: Medium
Nose: Fruity with port, blueberry, tonnes of fruit and creaminess.
Taste: Similar to the nose. Lacking in mouthfeel. Blueberry, blackberry, plum. Quite bitter, especially into the finish.
Finish: Short/Medium length. Very bitter with lots of plum.
71/100


natural one to finish, please!
Dalmore 1990 Signatory Cask Strength Collection 57.7%
Image courtesy of Master of Malt
Colour: Light Gold
Body: Medium
Nose: Strong alcohol. Yeasty and malty. Rising bread, warm dough, lemony citrus, raspberry vodka, floral- Buttercups, orange chocolate, chocolate biscuit and herbal fruit tea.
Water: More lemon and citrus, some lime developing, clotted cream, cream tea (Raspberry jam, scones and cream), lemon drizzle cake, lemon fancies. All sorts of lemony, cakey, tarty things!
Taste: Sherry, sweet fruit, orange marmalade, lemon sherbet, a biscuity note.
Water: Orange peel, brown sugar, lots of dark chocolate, raspberry, a little blackberry, cream, Creme Brulee, vanilla, lemon curd.
Finish: Very Short length. Gone, it's just gone!
With water the finish becomes a short length. Doughy with some lingering sweetness and coffee.
Notes: Distilled 1990, bottled 2012. 22yo from a refill Sherry cask. Multiple refill I think. Bit of time, bit of water and this opens up nicely.
73/100

Reviews #134-#137



Network Average: 74.7
Best Score: 91
Worst Score: 44
0-49 Terrible
50-59 Bad
60-64 Just About OK
65-69 Ok to Good
70-74 Good
75-79 Very Good
80-84 Excellent
85-89 Superb
90+ Magnificent

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