Dalmore 29 Years Old 1989 (Cadenhead’s)

Scotland's oldest independent bottler Cadenhead's bottled this Dalmore, a 29 year old, distilled in 1989, bottled at 51.1%, one of 162 bottles. Dalmore sits above the Cromarty Firth, its water jacketed stills building a thick, oily spirit. It is owned by Whyte and Mackay, and its King Alexander III bottling nods to the clan legend.

It was drawn off stills whose cooling jackets build a rich, oily spirit, for a full, opulent Highland spirit. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the rich character to the fore. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings dried fruit, fig, coffee and a treacly depth over a rich malt. The cool Highland air on the firth gives a slow, even maturation. Years in oak round the spirit, the fruit deepening to chocolate, marmalade and treacle. Most expressions are finished in aged sherry wood, giving orange, chocolate and treacle.

At a hearty 51.1% it carries real weight. Marmalade, chocolate and a malty depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Marmalade, chocolate and dried fruit fill the middle. The finish runs rich, fruity and warm. This is one of the Highlands' most opulent single malts.