Dalmore 16 Years Old

A 16 year old Dalmore, a distillery bottling, at 48.6%. Dalmore was founded in 1839 at Alness, and wears the twelve pointed Royal Stag of the Mackenzie clan. It is owned by Whyte and Mackay, and its King Alexander III bottling nods to the clan legend.

Distilled in flat topped wash stills and water jacketed spirit stills on River Averon water, building the luscious Dalmore style. A Pedro Ximenez cask added raisin, date, fig and a treacle sweetness. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, tannic grip. Long ageing turns the fresh orange towards marmalade, dark chocolate, coffee and a warm spice. The water jacketed stills give a heavy spirit that soaks up sherry over a long maturation. Water comes from the River Averon, drawn from Loch Morie in the hills above. The Dalmore range climbs to some of the oldest and most expensive whiskies in the world.

At cask strength 48.6% it is full bodied. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, chocolate and orange from the cask. The texture is thick and oily, the fruit lifted by a rich sherry. The finish is deep, sherried and dark. This is one of the Highlands' most opulent single malts.