Dalmore 17 Years Old 2003 Cask #14742 (A.D. Rattray)

This Dalmore was bottled by A.D. Rattray, a 17 year old, distilled in 2003, from cask 14742, bottled at 54.3%, one of 251 bottles. Dalmore was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson and long run by the Mackenzies. Its flat topped wash stills and water jacketed spirit stills build a thick, rich, oily spirit.

It was worked through flat topped and water jacketed stills for a rich, oily spirit, giving the thick, oily spirit that drinks sherry so well. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla and citrus beneath the rich malt. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out a deeper dried fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. The full bodied make rewards a long, sherried maturation in good wood. The rich, dried fruit style runs through the core range, from the twelve year old upward. Its spirit stills wear cooling water jackets, condensing the heavier compounds back for a fuller body.

At a hearty 54.3% it carries real weight. A rich, sherried sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. Dried fruit, orange and a treacly oak see out the finish. This is a chocolate, orange and dried fruit Highland single malt.