DALMORE 2001/2015 - GORDON & MACPHAIL

It's not often I review a Dalmore... Why? well, there's not many releases from the indies and frankly I find the official bottlings very much on the dull side, all drowned in E150a caramel colouring and offered at just 40%.

This time, Gordon & Macphail has stomped up some refill sherry casks no where near as dark as the official bottlings... and we know why - because they don't use E150a caramel coloring in this bottling :-)

Dalmore Distillery with the Cromarty Firth beyond, seen from the road behind the distillery, 19th October 2014 © The Malt Desk

Dalmore 2001/2015 46%, Refill sherry hogsheads, Connoisseure's Choice by Gordon & Macphail

Colour is pale white wine

Nose:

Picture by G&M

Quite light and fresh with baked apple, tropical fruit juice and dusty earthen floors. After a while some lovely malty notes appear accompanied by some fresh lime juice and hint of something floral

Taste:
Lovely mellow yellow fruit arrival, some vanilla and then a rush lemon and peppery spicyness. I find quite a mineral side to this somewhere mid palate and a surprising sharpness from a a rush of citric and grassy notes.

This is a very straight forward dram - not overly complex in any way and it holds its own against e.g. the standard 12yo distillery bottling... a very 'naked' Dalmore :-)

82/100!

Official sample provided by Gordon & Macphail