Dalmore 45 Years Old

A 45 year old Dalmore, a distillery bottling, at 40%, 500 bottles in all. Dalmore is the Highland malt of the Royal Stag, rich with orange, chocolate and sherry. It is owned by Whyte and Mackay, and its King Alexander III bottling nods to the clan legend.

It was worked through flat topped and water jacketed stills for a rich, oily spirit, for a full, opulent Highland spirit. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and orange over the rich spirit. In its ethereal years the malt is deep and oxidative, faded esters and a touch of sotolon (maple, spice). Dalmore's sherry comes largely from the aged Oloroso casks of Gonzalez Byass. The water jacketed stills give a heavy spirit that soaks up sherry over a long maturation. The rich, dried fruit style runs through the core range, from the twelve year old upward. The distillery stands on the firth near Alness, in the Northern Highlands.

At 40% it is gentle, sweet and fruity. Baked fruit, coffee and a dark sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is full and rich, the opulent spirit shining through. A full, sherried finish ends on orange and dark chocolate. This is Dalmore's opulent, chocolate orange Highland style.