Whisky Party

One of my local wine stores occasionally stocks some interesting (read: not Dewars or Black Label) miniature bottles. On a lark I picked up the Dalmore 12 last time I was in the shop and thought I’d give it a taste tonight.

Dalmore is a Northern Highland single malt put out by Whyte and MacKay.  If you read whisky blogs, Dalmore is a name you’ve heard a lot lately, as their low-end core expression, the “Cigar Malt,” was recently replaced by the slightly more expensive Gran Reserva.  More recently, they got a lot of press (and some flack) for the release of the uber-expensive Dalmore Sirius.  It also doesn’t hurt that Richard Paterson, the Master Blender for Whyte and MacKay, is the hardest working social networker in the whisky business.

Dalmore, in miniature.

The Dalmore 12 year old

ABV: 43%

Color: Amber

Nose: Sweet malt.  Oatmeal and raisin cookies.

Taste: Spices.  A light sherry.  Somewhat hot.

Overall: A fairly tasty dram, but not long on the finish, and the heat overtakes the spice and sherry rather quickly.  I should note that this miniature is bottled at 43% and has a cream colored label.  This is not the Dalmore 12 you are likely to find in your local store, which is bottled at 40%, though you can buy a bottle at the Whisky Exchange.

Other Opinions:

• Whisky Fun: Serge really likes this one, giving it 86 points.  He’s not tasting exactly the same notes as me, but I think we’re in the same ballpark.  He’s picking up a lot of burnt cake and sugared coffee notes.

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