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Dalmore 12 Year Old

Second chances

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@OdysseusUnboundReview by @OdysseusUnbound

7th Nov 2019

0

Dalmore 12 Year Old
  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    21
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    87

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Hopefully this (mostly) positive review doesn't get me booted from the site

With all the different whiskies on the market, it's easy to overlook or forget certain distilleries. Some distilleries make a strong first impression for better or worse, and some leave you feeling lukewarm. It's no secret that I generally prefer higher strength offerings and rarely buy whiskies bottled at 40% abv. Dalmore 12 Year Old hasn't really been on my radar for awhile. I enjoyed it well enough when I began my journey, but I felt I had "outgrown" it and I hadn't had it for the last two years or so. A recent chat with a good friend and a sale at the LCBO pushed me to give this whisky another go.

Bête noire

The Dalmore distillery is the bête noire of many a budding whisky enthusiast. Dalmore commits many of the cardinal sins according to the whisky cognoscenti: they make liberal use of spirit caramel (E150a), they chill-filter their whisky, and most egregious, they bottle most of their core expressions at the minimum 40% abv. There is some evidence to suggest most people can't accurately determine whether a whisky has been chill-filtered or not, but it falls under the "doesn't improve the product/might degrade the product" umbrella for me. While these things might be annoying, the most important factor should always be the aroma, taste, and texture of the whisky, as far as I'm concerned. The "geek" factors can and should be assessed separately from the "touch, taste, and smell" factors.(I concede that lower abv % affects the touch, smell, taste factor)

Tasting notes

  • Nose (undiluted): clean, bright and fruity, sultana raisins, oranges, walnuts, vanilla, dark chocolate
  • Palate (undiluted): light to medium-bodied but not without some mouth-coating oiliness, a bit of nuttiness, orange zest, vanilla, baking spices (nutmeg, cloves), dark chocolate
  • Finish: medium length, dark chocolate, espresso, leather, oak spices lingering

I did not add any water to this whisky. I didn't see the need. It is richer than I expected based on my memory of this malt. Despite being bottled at the minimum 40% abv, the flavours and aromas pop out of the glass. Everybody with whom I shared a glass enjoyed it. I was also surprised by the complexity at play here. This is no one note wonder. There's a lot going on and even the empty glass offers some lovely oak and leather aromas. I don't remember liking Dalmore 12 this much the last time I had it, but I'm nothing if not honest. There's a very good chance I will replace this bottle once it's gone, especially if I can get it on sale. There's something to be said for second chances. Of course I'd love to see this bottled at a higher abv %, at natural colour and NCF, but my evaluation is based on an is not an ought, lest I awaken and anger the ghost of David Hume. "Ach ! Ye cannae git an 'is' from an 'ought'"

  • Would I accept a glass if it was offered? Yes
  • Would I order this in a bar or pub? Yes
  • Would I purchase another bottle? Yes

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14 comments

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

"Hopefully this (mostly) positive review doesn't get me booted from the site" - THAT was a great intro!

You didn't mention if you first poured, swirled and threw it away. Also, when you nosed it, did you say "Hello..... How are you?.... Quite well...thank you very much"?

www.youtube.com/watch

5 years ago 5Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Nozinan Sir Richard is a bit of a showman, isn't he? Still, I think it would be fun to attend a tasting with him, assuming you could sift through all the marketing-speak. (Shall we politely call them "tall tales"?) I did not speak directy to this whisky, nor did I throw the first dram on the floor. My wife wouldn't appreciate it and I'm not one to waste anything. stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@OdysseusUnbound I am always going to be pleased to see a quote from David Hume.

As for Dalmore 12, I am glad to see some good reports coming out about it. I do hope for your sake that the next bottle of Dalmore 12 you buy is as pleasing to you as is this current one.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Victor I hope so too. There have been a few reports stating that overall quality has improved as of late with Dalmore. Hopefully my next bottle doesn't disappoint.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@OdysseusUnbound I don't think I've ever tasted a Dalmore. Back when I had more disposable income than sense, and a friend who would travel to Europe a lot, I would order stuff online. He was allowed to bring in 1.14 Litres. I once ordered a 700 cc bottle (probably Bladnoch), 8 50 cc minis (or maybe that included a 200 cc bottle and 4 minis), and to make use of those last 40 cc I ordered a Dalmore 15. It came in 40 cc "test tube". I am now tempted to open it and try it.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

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@NamBeist
NamBeist commented

@OdysseusUnbound Thank you for your review. I have an opened bottle of Dalmore 12 yo in my cupboard. I was dissapointed after a few drams. I tried to get rid of it, but nobody accepted my offer. Thanks to you, I feel inspired to try it again. Did you know that Nikka from the Barrel happens to be Ben Nevis ? I have more or less the same expectation with Dalmore. It might taste as ....The Maccallan

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@NamBeist Glad to help when I can, in my own weird way.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

Anyone who raves about Jura Superstition loses all credibility with me. I haven’t had a Dalmore in years, but I might give it another chance if I see it on sale. Very informative review @OdysseusUnbound.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@BlueNote I didn't hate Superstition the last time I had it...but that was probably four or five years ago. I don't remember raving about it, but I didn't hate it. But then, there are few things I hate.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@OdysseusUnbound Were it offered to me I would certainly accept a dram of Superstition. But I much prefer Prophecy, the other one that the supercilious Mr. Paterson was touting. I wouldn’t mind trying some other Dalmores, but the price rises pretty steeply beyond the 12 year old.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@NamBeist
NamBeist commented

@OdysseusUnbound I tasted a dram of Dalmore 12 yo. It is very nice, although the finish is rather short. I would say 84 points. 40% alcohol is just too low . I would prefer Nikka from the barrel anytime.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@BlueNote @OdysseusUnbound - I recently poured the last fifth of Jura Superstition down the sink. It had been open almost two years to be fair but boy had that thing gone flat! I mean like wet cardboard flat! I enjoyed it at the start though as it was a bit different, but it never really got me going like some do.

Nice review - Still yet to try a Dalmore but there are just so many I'd have before it ...

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Wierdo commented

They have a Dalmore sometimes on the SMWS that has been bourbon cask matured. I'll grab one at some point as I'm quite interested by how a non-sherry cask matured Dalmore would taste.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@NamBeist I’d love to try it. Ben Nevis is so hard to find in Ontario. stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

5 years ago 1Who liked this?