Dalmore 20 Years Old 1995 Cask #4 (LMDW)

From the bottler La Maison du Whisky, a 20 year old Dalmore, distilled in 1995, from cask 4, bottled at 53%, one of 290 bottles. Dalmore is a rich, marmalade and dark chocolate Highland single malt of real opulence. Water comes from the River Averon, drawn from Loch Morie in the hills above.

It was made in copper stills whose water jackets give a heavy make, for a heavy, rich make that suits aged sherry wood. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and orange over the rich spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend dried fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, tannic grip. Maturation in the cool north keeps the rich spirit balanced over the years. 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. Dalmore's sherry comes largely from the aged Oloroso casks of Gonzalez Byass.

At a hearty 53% it carries real weight. A rich, oily chocolate orange, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run orange, dark chocolate and dried fruit. It finishes rich, malty and warm. This is one of the Highlands' most opulent single malts.