Dalmore 18 Year

Bottled 2018. What is the best distillery? Springbank. I’ve already said that, and wrote a love poem for Longrow 18. But, what is the worst distillery? Dalmore. Get ready for slander. Some background. I have tried the Dalmore 12, 15, 18, and King Alexander III. They are all garbage. It has always perplexed me how Dalmore continues to exist as a distillery. Macallan is Macallan; Dalmore is not Macallan. Dalmore serves a disgusting niche for people with no interest in taste; but with an interest in luxury, and not enough money to afford Macallan. This 18 year old is the only bottle of Dalmore that I have bought, and I thought I could get a good deal because I found this bottle lost at a Canadian Duty Free for about 120 USD. This was clearly a lost bottle from Europe because it was 70 cL rather than 750 mL; and rather than send it back to Europe, I guess they just decided to dump it at a deep discount. The regular price for Dalmore 18 is 200-250 USD. Clearly, I still feel ripped off. But, some more background: Richard Paterson, the master blender at Dalmore, is a jackass. I cannot believe how many Scotch drinkers idolize this man. He is disgusting, and he is the last person I want to bump into when I am enjoying whisky. So, here’s a YouTube video to illustrate what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDS-InpmEnM He has many videos about “How to Taste Whisky”, but this is the best, because it is short, and I know the Canadian host, Sophie Liu. The video is hilarious in a cringe kind of way. Paterson is dressed in full pervert pilot swag and Sophie is honestly concerned that he might rape her, questioning his Dalmore sample with, “It’s from a vial with no label on it…” But, anyway, my biggest problem with Paterson is not that he does not know how to behave around whisky or around women, but it’s because by throwing whisky around the room as a joke, he has no respect as a guest of someone else’s home or workplace. It’s okay that he has no respect for his own Dalmore, because it is garbage, but show some respect for the people who have to clean up after you. Nosing this whisky… Hello. How are you? Quite well. Thank you very much. Dalmore 18 actually has a very nice nose. Sultanas, red citrus, Hermes perfume, prunes, la patisserie, a well-seasoned wood cutting board. Tasting this whisky… Ey yo. What’s up? This sucks. Fuck you too. This thing completely falls apart. At best, the palate is watery and boring, but then there’s this plastic cherry note that takes me on a nightmare-worthy trip of $9 old-fashioned’s, cheap birthday cakes, and fatty liver disease. Some nice red citrus flavors try to make a reappearance on the finish, but it is dominated by this soulcrushing essence of garbage. I don’t know how to explain it any better. Perhaps: depression. This whisky tastes like depression. I actually cannot give this whisky a minus rating because the nose is nice. And I actually cannot tell you how I REALLY feel about this whisky or Dalmore distillery because my wife likes this. Score: 0 (forgettable) How much does a bottle cost: $200-250 How much do I think a bottle is worth: $50

Nose: wood, sherry, maple syrup, a little lackluster. Palate: much wood, reminiscent of Mcallan a little stronger and less delicate, sherry, always maple syrup, dark chocolate. There is a caramel flavor, I do not know if added or not as I have not found information on the "natural color" for the 18yo. Quite long finish, spicy and spicy, with wood and sherry. The influence of the first maturation in bourbon is not very evident and the final one in sherry is very evident. Excellent quality product, but below what my expectations were. Rating 4.25 ___________________________________________________________ Naso: legno, sherry, sciroppo d’acero, un po’ poco incisivo. Palato: molto legno, ricorda mcallan un po’ più forte e meno delicato, sherry, sempre sciroppo d’acero, cioccolato fondente. Si avverte sapore di caramello, non so se aggiunto o meno in quanto non ho trovato informazioni sul “natural color” per il 18yo. Finale abbastanza lungo, speziato e piccante, con legno e sherry. Si sente poco l’influenza della prima maturazione in bourbon e molto quella finale in sherry. Ottimo prodotto, di qualità, ma sotto quelle che erano le mie aspettative. Voto 4,25

The Dalmore 18 is matured for 18 long years just outside of Inverness, Scotland. Upon opening, I noticed the top of the box comes off and can be used as a stand for the bottle. The label has a nice blueish-purple color to it with a nice suede texture. The 18-year expression was matured in the finest ex-bourbon casks and Matusalem oloroso sherry casks hand picked by the genius Master Blender Richard Patterson. This marrying of casks creates a bold, complex, and robust whisky full of intense flavors and aromas. The Dalmore 18 is bottled at 43% ABV. Color: Rich Amber The nose consists of the classic Dalmore aromas of orange marmalade, dark chocolate, and toffee. Additionally, there are notes of candied fruits, caramel, and consists of a slight oakiness. The characteristics of these notes are extremely abundant. The palate is silky smooth full of the rich Dalmore notes of orange citrus, dark chocolate, coffee, candied red fruits, baking spices and oak along with a strong sherry flavor. The finish is long and warming with a strong sherry presence. Notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and oak lingers along with fading citrus notes.

Dalmore seems to have a rich history and a loyal following, but also has many critics. Most of them concentrate on the use of E150 within the range. Personally I'm not a fan of adding colour to whisky, but I'm actually more against chill filtration. Since I really can't remember when I had my last Dalmore, I'm eager to try out this expression. Nose - I personally don't experience this as the most pleasant nose and find it somewhat off-putting. Hints of floral, sweet notes before leading into hints of anise, brown sugar, hay, grass, earth and peat. Palate - Not overpowering, but full of flavour. Light mouthfeel that became more creamy the longer I held it in my mouth. Finish - Medium long. The sweetness prevails but quickly evolves into a sourer finish. Flavors of brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest and sour apples remain for a long time. Nice whisky that I certainly won't turn down when served. Glad I had the chance to obtain a sample, although I don't think it's a must have for my growing collection. "Tasty" : 3.25 stars | A cut above.

A fine fancy Whisky. Almost a 5.0, with a nose very different than the palate, you can easily determine that it has been beautifully crafted. Bottled at 43%abv, with an auburn polished mahogany. On the nose is very special. Fresh cherry syrup (that's a first), recently baked vanilla cake, slight sweet liquorice note, jelly beans, nutmeg, sugar. Lovely aroma but a little dim. On the palate, is fine but i believe it could be better. Starts with old citric notes, Oranges and Old raisins. Woody very woody. Bonfire finish, Ashy finish. Fancy and a little dry, has a slight peppery note. Finish is very long, that being the best perk of this dram. Overall this elegant dram is a 94 over 100, nice score suitable for one of my favorite brands. Cheers!

A rich, Single Malt Whisky by the Dalmore Distillery in the Highlands of Scotland matured initially for 14 years in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, then transferred to 30-year-old Matusalem oloroso sherry wood for a further 4 years. The sea-facing traditional dunnage warehouses is located at sea level & enveloped by the salt air. It has a rich & aromatic birth with notes of orange, wine, malt, almonds, toffee, baked bread, mild smoke & wood; while a rich & fruity life adds notes of old sherry, spice, iodine, oak, chocolate, coffee & orange zest; that leads to a long & rich death with notes of caramel, pear, cinnamon, fruit cake, coffee, cocoa & dark chocolate. April / June 2019 / August 2022