Dalmore MacKenzie 18 Years Old 1992

Dalmore from the distillery, an 18 year old, from 1992, at 46%, 3000 bottles in all. 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.

The spirit was drawn off stills whose cooling jackets build a rich, oily spirit, giving the thick, oily spirit that drinks sherry so well. A Cabernet Sauvignon cask gave blackcurrant, red berry and a dry spice. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (orange and dried fruit) over the chocolatey, sherried depth. An aged Oloroso cask suits the rich spirit, dried fruit and chocolate meeting the oily weight. The Mackenzie clan ran it from 1867, and gave it the twelve pointed Royal Stag, after an ancestor saved King Alexander III from a charging stag in 1263. The full bodied make rewards a long, sherried maturation in good wood.

At 46% it is gentle, sweet and fruity. A full, dried fruit richness, with plum and red berry from the cask. A dried fruit and a chocolate depth give it weight. The finish is deep, sherried and dark. This is the rich, sherried Highland malt of Dalmore.