Dalmore The Quartet

An official release of Dalmore, at 41.5%. Dalmore is a Highland distillery on the Cromarty Firth, famous for its rich, heavily sherried single malt. It is owned by Whyte and Mackay, and its King Alexander III bottling nods to the clan legend.

The spirit was run through the distillery's unusual flat topped and water jacketed stills, for a heavy, rich make that suits aged sherry wood. An aged Oloroso cask wrapped the rich spirit in dried fruit, chocolate and orange, the Dalmore signature. With no age statement, the oak has given vanillin as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over the rich, sherried spirit. The Royal Stag style is built on rich spirit and deep sherry wood. Its spirit stills wear cooling water jackets, condensing the heavier compounds back for a fuller body. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the rich malt.

At 41.5% it is clean and soft. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, chocolate and orange from the cask. The mouthfeel is heavy, the fruit carried on a rich, malty body. Dried fruit, orange and a treacly oak see out the finish. This is the Royal Stag malt of the Cromarty Firth.