Dalmore 12 Year Old

The color is a deep reddish-gold, as dark as the darkest Bourbon I’ve poured into a glass. It has slow, syrupy, promising legs.

The nose is unmistakably Scottish: peat, grape, and cream dangling in a framework of old oak. It has a very serious smell that reminds me of Tomintoul or Highland Park. Like some Scotches, it holds a peach and a pear to your nose, but in the background it threatens fire and smoke. In other words, it’s an exciting aroma, wild and domestic at the same time, like a remote village with stone houses and open hearths.

On tasting, it burns the tongue with oak and there’s a long finish of lemongrass, fruit, and hard candy. The citrusy finish is probably the longest I’ve ever experienced, with a general, sugary sweetness and shades of spice and orange peel.

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