Dalmore – as a distillery, as a whisky, and as a brand – has had a dynamic, if not enigmatic history. Founded in 1839, almost directly on the shoreline of the Cromarty Firth, it is a Highland whisky that’s obviously north of Inverness and the allure of Speyside, yet seeming not north enough to trade on the geographical x-factor that the likes of Clynelish and Old Pulteney somehow cash in on. It purportedly claims the title of being the first malt whisky to have been commercially exported from Scotland, with cases shipped to Australia way back in 1870. Over the years it has been leased, family owned and operated, joint-ventured, acquired, and absorbed. In more recent times, it’s a brand that has gone down the luxury product road, drawing attention for its old/rare releases and collections that carried eye-wateringly high price tags. But for your average or typical whisky drinker, where does The Dalmore fit in to the current state of play? We’ll answer that in just a moment but, as always, some background might help set the scene…
If we trace the current malt whisky boom to the late 1990’s / early 2000’s, Dalmore was at that time a respectable, well-regarded whisky, having achieved particular prominence with its Cigar Malt release. A rich, sherry-influenced malt that was marketed as the perfect accompaniment to a cigar, that particular expression perhaps kick-started the brand’s persona as being a premium product. This was further cemented and upgraded to luxury when David Robertson arrived in 2006, fresh from his stint at The Macallan. Robertson set about repositioning the brand by curating a series of releases and collections that appealed exclusively to the collectors and the well-heeled. The Constellation Collection – initially a series of 21 different vintage releases between 1964 and 1992 – was released in 2012, with the 1964 bottle retailing for £20,000. Bottles appearing at auction today can sell for two to three times that amount. Dalmore also received a nice little boost in the 2014 film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, where the 1962 vintage release was reverently referenced. (Fun fact: At one stage, the 1962 held the record for the most expensive bottle of whisky ever purchased at £125,000. Only 12 bottles of that 1962 were released; I was fortunate to enjoy a dram of it with its maker, Richard Paterson, back in 2008).
While the Constellation and other vintage-dated releases continue to grab the headlines from time to time, there remains, thankfully, a core range of whiskies in Dalmore’s portfolio that is more down to earth. The Principal Collection contains eight different whiskies, showcasing a diverse range of age statements, styles, cask maturation, and flavours. In ascending order of gravitas, these are The Dalmore 12, the Portwood Reserve, the Sherry Cask Select 12, the Cigar Malt Reserve, The Dalmore 15, the King Alexander III, The Dalmore 18, and The Dalmore 21. With production runs for some of these done in annual batches, output for the older (and thus rarer) expressions can be limited and thus allocations in some local markets can be small. The most recent batch of The Dalmore 21, for example, yielded just 13,000 bottles globally.
That said, some markets were recently identified as having been overlooked or less well serviced by distributors, and Australia is one such country that the brand is keen to “re-engage” with. (Other countries and markets are similarly being re-assessed). And so it was that Mark Bruce, brand ambassador for all things Whyte & Mackay, sat down over dinner with some drinks writers in Sydney last week to give some insights into The Dalmore’s story and its plans for the future.
The distillery’s connection with Whyte & Mackay dates back to 1960 when the distillery’s then owners merged their company with Whyte & Mackay that year. Whyte & Mackay has subsequently been acquired and changed hands more times than almost any other whisky company, but the company remains a high-performing subsidiary: The Whyte & Mackay blends continue to sell strongly in the UK, and the company’s four malt whisky brands – Old Fettercairn, Tamnavulin, Jura, and Dalmore – all stake their respective place on the single malt spectrum. Being a major player in the blending game, the company also owns the Invergordon grain distillery.
In terms of Dalmore’s production and processes, the distillery is reasonably conventional in its operations until you get to the stillhouse. Unlike every other Scottish distillery, the stills are un-matched. That is, the wash stills are not paired with or timed to the spirit stills, and all run independently of one another. The set up and spirit runs are further complicated in that one of the wash stills is twice the size of the other three, and ditto for the spirit stills: One has twice the capacity of the other three. Yours truly had the pleasure of spending a day working at the distillery back in 2011, spending the morning on mashing and brewing, and the afternoon behind the control desk in the stillhouse. Even after the whole afternoon observing the processes and having the stillman explain the sequences to me many times over, the distillation runs remained a puzzle!
(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge)
Armed with eight washbacks made from Oregon pine, fermentation is a relatively fast 50 hours, producing a robust, malty wash. The wash stills are flat-topped and the lyne arms stick out the side, giving the impression they may once have been taller but were subsequently cut down. One theory is that they were too tall to fit under the roof of an earlier stillhouse, and it was deemed easier to cut the stills down than to raise the roof! The spirit stills feature external water jackets to their necks, allowing cooling water to run over the exterior surface, thereby encouraging reflux within the still. (A similarly-purposed mechanism is in place at Dalmore’s sister distillery, Old Fettercairn). Whatever the process and combinations of the various distillates produced by these idiosyncratic stills, Dalmore’s signature spirit – when filled into good casks – seems to consistently capture notes of orange citrus and dark chocolate.
Two of the wash stills on the left, and two of the spirit stills on the right. Note the cooling jacket fitted to the spirit stills. (Click on each image to enlarge)
The distillery has a Visitor Centre and runs excellent tours, although these are on hold for 2023 and most of 2024 due to a major distillery expansion. With the brand growing in sales and popularity, the distillery has embarked on building and extensions works to take annual production from 4.3M litres of alcohol per year up to approximately 9M. Of course, it will be many years yet until all that extra spirit matures and finds its way into bottles, but it’s good news in the long run for the many international markets where some of the more coveted expressions in Dalmore’s Principal Collection are harder to come by.
Which brings us back to our dinner with the affable and hospitable Mark Bruce, and our journey through four of the expressions in the Principal Collection. Paired with some wonderful dishes (something a good Dalmore is rather adept at), Mark led the discussion and exploration into the Port Wood Reserve, the King Alexander III, the 18yo, and the 21yo.
For many of the Principal Collection’s whiskies, all of the spirit is initially filled into ex-bourbon barrels. Half of that spirit is then re-racked into ex-Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks for a minimum finishing period of at least three years, before all being reunited and married for bottling. Whisky & Wisdom jotted down the following tasting notes “on the fly” as we explored each whisky at the table: (All RRP’s are Australian dollars)
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The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve, 45.5% ABV, $150
Nose: Marzipan, wine gums, fennel, plasticene, and subtle hints of bourbon
Palate: Raspberry coulis, red wine gums, port, and caramel fudge.
Finish: Sweet in flavour, but some drying alcohol heat comes through on the tail.
Comments: An intriguing mix of wine influence with the malt. Not overly my cup of tea, but will certainly appeal to those who favour port cask-influenced whisky.
The Dalmore King Alexander III, 40% ABV, $400
Nose: Rich sherry, and strong aromas of fruit mix (peel, spice, raisins, nuts). A subtle hint of smokiness flits around the rim.
Palate: Red fruits. Dried orange peel. A little drying.
Finish: A touch flat, with lots of oak.
Comments: Six different cask types contribute to this whisky: Bourbon, sherry, madeira, marsala, port, and red wine barriques. In theory, this should offer complexity, but I’ve felt for many years that the King Alexander III is weighed down by this recipe, rather than liberated by it. At a somewhat weak-ish 40% ABV, the spirit struggles to stand up to the oak, and it’s drying on both the palate and finish.
The Dalmore 18, 43% ABV, $500
Nose: Compared to the King Alexander III, the 18yo has a more conventional nose, and certainly gives off wonderful notes of sherry, i.e. the textbook aromas of raisins, dried fruits, apricots, and spice. Hints of varnish/shellac as well. Butterscotch sauce on sticky date pudding. Classic fruitcake notes. It’s a delight to nose.
Palate: A bit more lively and vibrant at 43% ABV. It’s also sweeter – like a dusting of icing sugar over pastry. Quite chocolatey – a beguiling mix of both dark and milk chocolate. Insanely drinkable.
Finish: The perfect finish. Long, balanced, and satisfying. Apples / toffee apples come through on the tail, morphing into calvados. Truly sublime.
Comments: Now this is something. It’s robust, but it’s complex. It has a richness and depth to it, but the lighter esters and cereal notes still shine through the (delicious) sherry influence. That signature chocolate note is wonderfully enjoyable, and the sudden introduction of calvados on the finish makes this the ultimate after-dinner dram.
The Dalmore 21, 43.8% ABV, $1,100
Nose: An intriguing and appealing basket of tropical fruit. Peaches and pineapples. Nectar.
Palate: Sublime. It’s sweet and balanced, with notes of bananas (both natural and confectionery) adding to the fruit basket. Hints of age, bordering on rancio. Toffee comes in on the second act and adds to the rich sweetness.
Finish: Long, soft, and silky.
Comments: This wins instant applause for being the lightest in colour in this line up. (Compare the colour alongside the 18yo in the photo above). We’re informed there’s no spirit caramel (i.e. colouring) added to this whisky and, freed of that cloaking device, the wonderful spirit is allowed to truly shine. And shine it does…this is a revelation of a whisky. Malt, spirit, and oak in perfect harmony.
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Our thoughts in summary? This was an illuminating experience with the brand, and one that genuinely surprised and impressed. It would not be unfair to report that Dalmore attracted a bit of criticism in the past for some releases that were lighter in substance and heavier in caramel. With Master Blender Gregg Glass, taking over not long ago from the legendary Richard Paterson, perhaps these recent releases have been tweaked in response. In any event, these four whiskies all display depth and complexity; and the older two expressions demonstrate a masterful balance between spirit and oak. The Dalmore 18 is unquestionably as rich and luxurious as any other celebrated 18yo on the market right now (nudging out a few fancied rivals), and the Dalmore 21yo is exceptional: A true epiphany with its tropical fruit and delicate finesse.
Of course, if you’d prefer to explore The Dalmore at the entry level, it must be said that the flagship Dalmore 12yo expression is a delightful, flavoursome, and multi-faceted dram that is the perfect introduction to the brand, and it makes for wonderful Highland drinking. There’s been an open and regularly-visited bottle of The Dalmore 12yo “on the go” on Whisky & Wisdom’s shelf at home now for over 20 years.
It was stated that Dalmore wishes to re-engage with the market. On the basis of the 18yo and 21yo alone, I’m pleased to announce that I’m happily engaged.
Cheers,
AD
With thanks to Dialogue PR, the Park Hyatt Sydney, and Mark Bruce. All photos by Whisky & Wisdom.
PS: If you’re heading north of Inverness and exploring the northern Highlands of Scotland, be sure to include the Dalmore distillery in your travels – even if the visitor centre is closed for its current renovations, you can view the buildings and its environment from the approach road. And if you are travelling up to the northern Highlands, you might like these other feature articles by Whisky & Wisdom…
The Highland Coast 700 Whisky Route – HC700
The most beautiful distilleries in Scotland
10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland
