Dalwhinnie 2002 Distillers Edition

Dalwhinnie is sometimes referred to as ‘The Gentle Spirit’. Well, it is definitely mentioned on the neck label of the classic 15 years old, but this Distillers Edition is also softened up a little bit, for lack of a better expression, by the fact that it got a second maturation on oloroso sherry casks. This is the expression that was released a few years ago, in 2017. I am putting it head-to-head with the release from 2019.

The nose immediately reveals the influence of the sherry by adding wonderful, soft, round, fruity notes to the classic profile. Yellow stone fruit, mostly. Peach, apricot, mango. Feel free to call this mildly tropical. A good dollop of honey and some almonds make it complete. Gentle is indeed the keyword.

It is nicely fatty in the mouth. The sweetness from the nose is joined by some soft spices. Think nutmeg, cloves and a bit of quinine. The fruit evolves towards the candied variety. Reminds me a bit of fruit tea that was left forgotten, with a mildly drying effect.

In the medium long finish I get some orange liqueur and coffee bonbons.

A beautiful after dinner dram, that is a bit underrated in my opinion. Thanks, Pat!

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