Dalmore 13 Year (SWMS 13.85 "Smiling From Within")

 

The second independent bottling of Dalmore I've had from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS")! The first was a young 7 year bottle that was full of personality and really interesting. I have high hopes for this one, nicknamed "Smiling From Within." The official notes are as follows:

A joyous combination of custard cream biscuits, creamed coconut and honey married with the evocative aromas of a dunnage warehouse nestled among lavender fields. The palate was pure fruity bliss, a social mingle of mango, apricot and peach before plums and blackcurrants invited pineapple and watermelon into polished oak casks and wood char. A fine fragrance returned with water that mixed ladies’ perfume with fresh coconut and elderflower. Apricot jam joined dark chocolate and black forest gateau with earthy notes of pine forests before light cream poured over tinned peaches in syrup and vanilla ice cream arrived with tropical fruit and ginger.

Well, I'm interested. Cream biscuits, coconut, honey? Lavender and dunnage? Stone fruit and oak? Count me in. Definitely seems appropriate to the "Sweet, Fruity, and Mellow" category it's filed under. 

Aged 13 years in a first-fill bourbon barrel, this is bottled at a very nice 58.9%. I'm dying to dig into it! Let's see how it does:

Nose: It's pretty rich. Coconut and malted barley, right out front. Floral fragrances and honey. Quite sweet. The official notes are very accurate. 

With water: Largely the same. A little more honey than before, perhaps. Some sweet vanilla, too. Perhaps some light pine, as the official notes imply. 

Mouthfeel: Silky. 

Palate: Yup.. stone fruit (mango and peach, especially), and oak. Some furniture polish. Some cognac-like notes as well. Very nice palate. Malt barley here, too. Honey and vanilla. A really satisfying palate on this one. The 13 years read very well here - it's entirely mature. 

With water: Actually becomes quite a bit more spicy, sour, and bitter with water (!). Sour peach, ginger, mango stone, and old cognac along with cream, honey, and the rest. Quite nice. 

Finish: The weakest element here, but still decent. Bitter stone fruit, bitter oak, with lingering honey sweetness and creamy vanilla elements counteracting them. Reasonably balanced, short-medium in length. 

Verdict: My favorite of the Dalmore bottles I've had, either official or independent. It's very rich and sweet, full of interesting angles like coconut and lavender and honey offset with tannic oak and malted barley. Very well executed. Recommended!