Dalwhinnie 15 Years Old (56.9%)

An official release of Dalwhinnie, a 15 year old, at 56.9%, 4000 bottles in all. Dalwhinnie is a Highland single malt made at the highest distillery in Scotland, high in the central hills. It was founded in 1897 as Strathspey and renamed Dalwhinnie soon after by its new owners.

Distilled slowly for a clean, fragrant spirit, for a clean, floral spirit with a waxy core. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the honey lead. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the heather honey deepening over a waxy weight. The worm tubs leave a waxy weight that carries through the years in cask. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards honey, dried fruit and a soft spice. Cold warehouses on the high ground slow the spirit's loss to the angels' share. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore.

At 56.9%, undiluted, it is deep and waxy. A light, honeyed orchard fruit, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The mouthfeel is soft and waxy, the fruit carried on a honeyed body. The finish is long, soft and gently warming. This is a light, honeyed Highland malt with a waxy heart.