Dalmore 23 Years Old 2000 Old & Rare A Platinum Selection (Hunter Laing)

The independent Hunter Laing bottled this Dalmore, a 23 year old, distilled in 2000, bottled at 50.6%, one of 119 bottles. Dalmore is the Highland malt of the Royal Stag, rich with orange, chocolate and sherry. Its flat topped wash stills and water jacketed spirit stills build a thick, rich, oily spirit.

Made in copper stills whose water jackets give a heavy make, building the luscious Dalmore style. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the oak letting the full bodied, oily character lead. Oxidative, evaporative ageing turns the malt deep and rich, ethereal esters and a faint sotolon (maple). Long ageing turns the fresh orange towards marmalade, dark chocolate, coffee and a warm spice. Its long time master distiller Richard Paterson, known as The Nose, shaped the rich house style. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the rich, sherried core over the years.

Bottled at a cask strength 50.6%, it is rich. Dried fruit, orange and a treacly malt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is heavy, the fruit carried on a rich, malty body. The finish is deep, sherried and dark. This is a sherried Highland single malt of real depth.