Dalmore 21 Years Old (42%)

An official release of Dalmore, a 21 year old, at 42%, 8000 bottles in all. Dalmore sits above the Cromarty Firth, its water jacketed stills building a thick, oily spirit. Its spirit stills wear cooling water jackets, condensing the heavier compounds back for a fuller body.

Drawn off stills whose cooling jackets build a rich, oily spirit, for a full, opulent Highland spirit. A sherry cask held it, the wood lending raisin, fig, orange and a coffee depth. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (orange and dried fruit) over the chocolatey, sherried depth. Long ageing turns the fresh orange towards marmalade, dark chocolate, coffee and a warm spice. It is owned by Whyte and Mackay, and its King Alexander III bottling nods to the clan legend. The distillery was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson on the Cromarty Firth at Alness.

At 42% it is clean and soft. Dried fruit, orange and a treacly malt, with dried fruit, chocolate and orange from the cask. The mouthfeel is heavy, the fruit carried on a rich, malty body. The finish runs rich, fruity and warm. This is a chocolate, orange and dried fruit Highland single malt.