Dalmunach Winter Fruits (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

A Dalmunach chosen by the bottler The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd, from cask 281, bottled at 56.5%, one of 360 bottles. Dalmunach is a young Speyside single malt, fresh and fruity, rarely bottled on its own. Chivas Brothers built it to replace the lost capacity of Imperial, which was demolished in 2013.

It was run through the distillery's tulip and onion shaped stills, giving the clean, fresh Speyside spirit. A Port cask laid plum and red berry over the fresh spirit. No age is given, but vanillin vanilla and a fresh, fruity malt are well integrated. Years in oak round the young spirit, the fruit deepening to honey and orchard fruit. It is a young distillery, so most bottlings are independent single casks of modest age. The light, fruity spirit takes cask flavour readily while keeping its fresh, clean core. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore.

At a natural 56.5% it is full and honeyed. Pear, honey and a fresh malt, with plum and red berry from the cask. The texture is light and clean, the fruit lifted by vanilla. It finishes light, fresh and fruity. This is a bright, fruity Speyside single malt.