Review #404 - Dalmore 18 Year
Here's a premium age statement from a well-known Highland brand: Dalmore's 18 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky. Emblazoned with the ornamental silver stag antlers, this bottle is recognizable around the world, and its reputation comes with a cost - these are very expensive bottles. While the price could range significantly from market to market, the going rate in our area is $280 to $380.
The cask makeup for this 18 year whisky is a mixture of American oak ex-bourbon casks and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. In fact, the sherry casks have some special provenance: they're Matusalem Oloroso casks, which are required to hold the sherry for at least 30 years before use. The debate about whether or not these 'bodega' style casks are actually better for whisky aging than the more standardized, modern ex-sherry casks rages on, but it's at least a point of interest for this bottling.
Dalmore has not yet moved with the craft presentation trend that has been sweeping through the single malt industry in recent years. This is bottled at a strength of 43% alcohol by volume, below the 46% that a lot of us look for, and the distillery is notorious for their generous use of artificial caramel coloring.
Despite those drawbacks, Dalmore has a reputation for good spirit character, which can be found more easily in independent bottlings that haven't been meddled with. How will that character and the hefty age statement stand up to the lower strength, likely chill filtration, and added color?
Dalmore 18 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 300 (2024)
Age Statement: 18 Years
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: American oak ex-bourbon casks and Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 3 months; bottles at 30% and 10% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Sweet to start - brown sugar, caramel, rum, a rounded profile. Fruit arrives in the form of tinned pineapple and fig; there's a soft herbal side in the background, almost floral and perfumed. With time, the oak notes grow stronger, adding an antique polished oak note.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thin; more oaky now, with that sharper polish note hanging around, showing that age. There are still soft herbal flavors in the background, but the backbone is dark, acidic fruits: fig, prune, and raspberry.
Finish: Medium length, relatively mild, with a mix of sweet caramel and tannic oak. Purple fruits are plentiful, including prunes, blackcurrant, and blackberry; in the aftertaste, rose petals linger.
Final Note: Decent whisky, maybe a bit unexceptional. There is definitely some interesting character there, and the fruity flavors from the sherry casks are a nice touch, but the whole experience is a bit muted and plain. This bottle would really benefit from a bump in strength, and while it's hard to say whether or not chill filtration can really be felt in an individual tasting experience, this lacked any sort of texture or oiliness, which also would have helped.
Value is not very good. This sort of Macallan-esque pricing is clearly set to attract a certain demographic of buyer, one which often doesn't overlap with whisky enthusiasts. For such a high price tag, there's much more flavor to be found elsewhere.
Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 3.91
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Dalmore reviews:
