Dalmore 14 Years Old 2001 (Connoisseurs Choice)

A 14 year old Dalmore from the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 2001, bottled at 46%. Dalmore is a rich, marmalade and dark chocolate Highland single malt of real opulence. The Mackenzie clan ran it from 1867, and gave it the twelve pointed Royal Stag, after an ancestor saved King Alexander III from a charging stag in 1263.

The spirit was drawn off stills whose cooling jackets build a rich, oily spirit, for the rich, full bodied make Dalmore is known for. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the oak letting the full bodied, oily character lead. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the rich, oily spirit growing rounder. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the rich, sherried core over the years. The Royal Stag style is built on rich spirit and deep sherry wood. The cool Highland air on the firth gives a slow, even maturation. The Dalmore range climbs to some of the oldest and most expensive whiskies in the world.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. Orange, dark chocolate and dried fruit, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dried fruit and a chocolate depth give it weight. It finishes rich, malty and warm. This is a rich, full bodied Highland single malt.