Dalmore 12 Year Old

Richard Patterson, master distiller of The Dalmore, is all over YouTube advocating whisky and the "art" of how to go about drinking whisky like a gentleman. Yet, he washes the glass with the same whisky and tosses it across the room, right on the floor, and he tests the water temperature with his own dirty fingers-- An ironical man. This 12 year old expression is bottled at 40% abv, and chuck-full of that forgettable orange hue suggesting caramel coloring E150E. So , I don't expect much. The spirit has been decanted for a whole 24 hours and right now is half way full, and its been opened for about two weeks.

Nose: Mellow, good sherry with a bit of over-ripened grapes. Oak, oranges, caramel and maple.

Palate: Like the nose, this is mellow. Probably one of the smoothest single malts I've ever tried. Then, right away sherry. Orange marmalade and maple. A nice bitterness asserts itself and hangs around for the rest of the ride counter balancing the sweet marmalade. Oak, caramel, honey, and once again maple. All this without and peaks and valleys, steady as it goes.

Finish: Medium with a dash of nuts and spices. Chocolate remains with the bitterness lingering until the very end.

When first opened a was a bit disappointed. It remind it me of Jura 10, which I'm not too fond of. But, after decanting for 24 hours and been opened for a week or so, it has drastically transformed. I'm emphasizing transformed here. Like Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hide. For the veteran whisky drinkers this could be uneventful, but for someone just getting into the game, this could possibly be the quintessential starter Speysider!

Find where to buy Dalmore whisky