Dalwhinnie Diageo Special Releases 2012 25 Years Old 1987

An official release of Dalwhinnie, a 25 year old, from 1987, at 52.1%, 5358 bottles in all. Dalwhinnie is a Highland single malt made at the highest distillery in Scotland, high in the central hills. It runs pear shaped copper stills whose vapour is cooled in traditional worm tubs.

It was distilled from unpeated malt in pear shaped copper stills, building the gentle Dalwhinnie style. A bourbon barrel held it, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into dried fruit and beeswax. Maturation at over a thousand feet keeps the spirit soft and slow to develop. Refill oak lets the soft heather honey character lead the way. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey to the fore. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the gentle Highland spirit. Soft snowmelt water and a clean ferment give the fragrant Dalwhinnie make.

At cask strength 52.1% it is full bodied. Honey, pear and a waxy weight, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is soft and waxy, the fruit lifted by vanilla. It finishes long, soft and warming. This is a light, honeyed Highland malt with a waxy heart.