Glenrothes 9 Years Old DMor (Dràm Mòr)

Cask 2850 sits in Dràm Mòr's nine year old Glenrothes filling alongside cask 2851, which was matured in Moscatel. The two casks present the same distillate matured in different European wine routes. Dràm Mòr is a Glasgow based indie run by Viv and Kenny Macdonald, presenting single cask releases at natural strength with a focus on European cask finishes outside the standard sherry styles. This release was bottled in 2020 at 55% from a red wine cask, with 316 bottles for European markets.

Red wine casks contribute red berry aromatics, soft tannins and a polished oak signature distinct from sherry's oxidised chemistry. The cask arrives carrying residual anthocyanins and tannins from the wine's earlier life, with European oak's slow lignin and hemicellulose breakdown layering vanillin, syringaldehyde and furfural alongside. Nine years in red wine wood at 55% delivers a young but cask forward profile, the cask's red fruit chemistry concentrated rather than diluted.

The nose lifts red berry and dried cherry with polished oak underneath, a faint cocoa lift threading through. The palate moves through cooked red fruit, soft chocolate and a developing tannin grip from European oak, the 55% strength delivering the cask's chemistry without scorching. The finish runs medium long and gently tannic, the cask leaving a structural close around the red wine residue.