Dalmore Port Wood Reserve

Review #047 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 46.5% Comments: NAS, American white oak maturation and tawny port finish Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Burnt umber color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 17/20 Lots of fruit notes, predominantly I get cherries, raisins, plumbs, and strawberries. There’s sugary notes too including brown sugar, molasses, and milk chocolate. There’s a good amount going on here, but it’s still very inviting and somehow a bit subtle at the same time. Palate: 35/40 Stewed prunes immediately come to mind on the first sip. None of the fruit flavors are fresh, it’s all dank and cooked and fermented and delicious, almost syrupy but not in an overly sweet way. There’s some oak tannins, milk chocolate, and cinnamon after a moment. On the palate it goes from being rather dark and rich to very light and airy, reminding me a bit of the sweet but finish to a dark soda like a cola or root beer. Finish: 31/40 Medium length finish. More oak spice here before ending on a nutty and creamy milk chocolate note. It’s simple but enjoyable and just the right length for what it’s offering. With Water: A couple drops dulls the flavors on the palate, reminds me a bit more of cream soda now. More walnut flavor on the finish and also a hint now of sea salted caramels. Total: 83/100 Final thoughts: This review is on the neck pour, and it’s truthfully the only Dalmore I’ve really enjoyed besides the Dalmore Cigar Malt. Not awesome value for what this bottle offers, but I was able to steal it by combining some sales and coupons so I’m happy with what I got for the price I paid. I’ve also yet to find a Dalmore that is a solid buy at MSRP. Overall this is a nice port bomb, very flavorful and an easy drinker. Would be elevated by having a more lengthy and complex finish. Price: $77 Would recommend: yes Would buy: maybe Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

This is a bit of a deviation for Dalmore. There are known primarily for their sherry-aged whiskies. This one trades that for port—obviously. It’s my first NAS Dalmore, yet is the only I’ve had to be above 40% ABV—which is greatly appreciated. Let’s see how this all plays out. Nose: Blackberry, black currant, raspberry, raisin, date, fig, and plum. Orange citrus and apple. Heavy molasses/sugar cane. Milk chocolate, caramel, fudge, cocoa, vanilla, toffee, custard, butterscotch, and cola. Chocolate syrup. Cranberry sauce. Macadamia nut. A minty/peppermint note. No Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Apple, apricot, raisin, date, fig, red grape, blackberry, black currant, and raspberry. Some cantaloupe, honeydew, orange, and pineapple. Toffee, honey, caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch. Almond, peanut, and macadamia. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Apple, raspberry, blackberry. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, and toffee. Orange citrus. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length finish—above average in fact. Between this, the 12, and the 15, this earns my highest rating. Should Dalmore stick to Port? I don’t know if I’d go that far. But what’s evident is that they should ditch the 40% ABV bottlings in favor of some higher-proofed stuff. Because this works, and you can cite sherry oak or age statements, but at the end of the day, a purer rendition of a distillery’s spirit will always stand out above the mass-produced, watered-down juice. 4.25/5. $100 is steep for an NAS, but I’d say this a better value than the 15 when consider that it’s cheaper and offers a higher ABV. My favorite Dalmore to date. Well done.

Nose: Grape juice, raisins, cranberries, black currants, cherries, toffee, caramel. Some shy oak wood notes. The nose takes a while to open but it slowly gains depth and intensity. However as this happens the component aromas merge into a generic “fruit/wine/caramel” character. Palate: Sweet arrival with bittersweet characteristics building as it develops. Chocolate, prunes, chinotto (!) and some herbal notes. The texture is full and has good weight but over time bitter tannic flavours become more obvious, and like the nose burnt caramel emerges as a key characteristic. Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee and there is a hint of sulphur in the aftertaste … and caramel. This whisky seemed nebulous and unfocused to me and ultimately it left me unsatisfied. The wine cask influence has drowned out the spirit’s characteristic orange notes, which is a real shame, and on the whole I thought it was a cluttered and heavy handed expression. The biggest issue I had with it was the burnt caramel/toffee presence that came to dominate the whole experience over time. Whether this was from the port pipe I can’t say but it did also seem suspiciously like the taste of an overdose of e150a caramel colouring. It’s pretty average stuff and not Dalmore’s finest moment by a long shot. I'm glad I was tasting it from a 30ml sample and I didn't have a whole bottle to finish. “Average” : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

This Dalmore is my 2nd favorite out of the 12-15-Portwood trio. 12 is my fav fyi. Nose is very sweet with fresh dark fruits like plums,cherry and some other kind of berries, not like the dried fruit notes in the 12 and in other sherry cask matured whiskies. This very common among the port wine cask matured bottles as i have noticed, they are more fresh juicy fruity, and not oily kinda dry and buttery fruity as opposed to sherried bottles. There is also a little bit of coffe whiff in there, not always but sometimes, its more present in the finish, and some vanilla and caramel gets on top occasioanally. Water bring out a lot more of that caramel. The palate is everything the nose promises with a little added citrus zestiness, you can absolutely feel more heat because of the higher 46,5% abv. Water bring it alive some earthy roasty flavors emerge The finish more coffe but gentle and sour orangey or grapefruity. But like the aftertaste of the grapefruit in your mouth when the juices already passed. Conclusion is that i like this bottle very much, still dont like it more than the 12, but i gotta say im a little bit biases about the 12. Next stop is the 18 which has the same maturation of the 12 but longer.

At first glance, the color and bottle of Port Wood captivated me. The Dalmore Port Wood, which has a limited availability in where I live and, sets itself apart from other scotches with its darker brown hue. The secret to its mahogany color lies in its aging process in port wine casks. As soon as the bottle is opened, aromas of honey and caramel fill the air. These scents become even more pronounced after pouring into a glass and letting it sit for a bit. Behind the rich honey and caramel notes, there’s a full-bodied aroma and a hint of what I can only describe as a “cake” scent. The first sip delivers a wonderfully full flavor, but is quickly followed by a sourness that transforms it into a spicy profile. The sour, burning sensation it leaves in the throat is a complex feeling that’s hard to put into words. Dalmore Port Wood, which feels different even before opening the bottle, distinguishes itself with its scent, taste, and lingering aroma.

Nose - Not surprisingly i get port/sherry type notes, red fruits and some oak Palate - Great mouth feel, vanilla, red fruits/berry and very slight malt (but it’s subtle due to the American Oak and Port Pipes (great for someone who is getting into Scotch and is not a huge fan of malt) Finiah - The finish was the most disappointing aspect for me as i found it to be quite short (even at the elevated 46% abv) - probably means it’s quite young Overall- very enjoyable, great quality and flavor (I really liked that it doesn’t taste “like a bourbon” as sometimes I get overpowering notes of oak with ex-bourbon casks, and this one did not have that. ( I like my scotch to taste like scotch and my bourbon to taste like bourbon) However, I wish the finish was a little longer lasting. Great scotch overall.