Every three or four months, I get together with a group of friends who have known each other since kindergarten - 40 years this September, which is mind-blowing. We tend to gather early in the morning and sip beer and spirits while reviewing our lives over the last quarter year, comparing and contrasting how life has treated us. Basically exactly what scotch whisky was invented for!
Beer treats me worse and worse every year I get older, so this last Saturday I brought this bottle of Dalmore 12 year, a single cask expression from Berry Brothers and Rudd. I bought it specifically as a crowd pleaser - I wanted something that was sweet, but not TOO sweet; coastal but not abrasive; a known name that everyone could pronounce and maybe had seen on a shelf before; but the best possible presentation of that. This bottle checked all the boxes.
How did it do, you ask? It was a huge success and the five of us nearly killed the entire bottle over the course of the day - unheard of, for this group of friends. Easily the biggest success I've had with scotch and a group of people who didn't gather specifically to drink scotch.
I got this at the Berry Bros and Rudd flagship store in Washington DC - I must be buying fully half of their Scotch inventory at this point - and it's aged a dozen years in a sherry butt, presented at full strength, which is 56.3% in this case.
Here are the official tasting notes:
Overlooking the famed Black Isle, Dalmore sits on the shores of the Cromarty Firth, guarded from the North Sea by two precipitous headlands called The Sutors. Dalmore's whisky is renowned for its densely fruity and cereal characteristics and a past steeped in legacy.
Tasting notes:
The nose opens with a delightful aroma of freshly baked Garibaldi biscuits, rich hazelnut and a hint of crème brulée. On the palate, a sumptuous wave of milk chocolate emerges, harmonised by the sweetness of caramelised nuts. The mouthfeel is well-rounded, viscous, and indulgent, leading to a prolonged finish with cosy notes of caramelised nuts and sherry-infused oak.
Dalmore, of course, is notorious for being one of those vastly, amusingly overpriced distilleries that is neutered to within an inch of its life. I wouldn't touch a distillery bottling of Dalmore if it was the only scotch on the shelf - just incredibly disappointing experiences over a long, long time have turned me off to them completely.
But I've had some marvelous single casks from independent bottlers, including this one. How marvelous? Let's find out:
Nose: I don't know how to explain this other than "chocolate with hazelnuts and also candied apples." Both are very sharp and distinct, and go together surprisingly well. The nutty chocolate is very buttery and rich. The candied apple - fresh red apple with that weird red candy shell - is also rich.
The nose is actually a tad shy and takes a while to unwind, but the aromas are quite nice and bode well for the palate.
Mouthfeel: Oily and rather viscous/syrupy despite being on the lighter end of the spectrum.
Palate: Honey, orchard fruit, very light smoke, salted caramel, chocolate, cafe au lait, and roasted hazelnuts. The honey and the chocolate and the hazelnuts make up the bulk of the flavor, I would say, but the hints of smoke are a really lovely and welcome touch.
All told, this is very light and approachable for a full sherry maturation. The flavors are big and bold and not overwhelming, but with some curious little corners that reward a careful sipper.
Finish: Oddly, the wisp of smoke really takes root in the finish. I get mostly chocolate, nuts, coffee, and that very dry smoke note, which outlasts the rest. The finish is drier than the palate, and more of a return to the nose, if anything.
Verdict: An immensely pleasurable single cask Dalmore, that showcases everything this distillery COULD be. It was a huge crowd pleaser, and for good reason. Highly recommended for fans of the Highland style, for those who like bold sherry flavors with maritime hints, and for those who prefer their drams a bit sweet but with dry underpinnings. A little something for everyone.
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